What if Wormtail had never existed?
by marauderfascination
Summary: ABANDONED-Sorry, only info through their second year, but feel free to pick up/rewrite how you think it should go. Jame Potter, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin and... Regulus Black are The Marauders. Dubbed by an irritated Lily Evans. see what happens through their years at Hogwarts. eventually Wolfstar and Jily. slash. Marauders era. RL/SB JP/LE AU where James and Lily li
1. The Beginning(Updated)

A/N: I hate Peter Pettigrew with a growing passion so I decided to write a Fanfiction for a world in which he doesn't exist. This will start out first year and end... I don't know but at least not until they're 21. The main idea that made me want to write this came from an awesome dream I had. Anyway, I ship both Wolfstar and Jily to a fault, you will no longer see me write a story without one of these couples. I also refuse to kill any of them off. Regulus will come into the story the second year, Wolfstar will start to generate in the third year.

BTW I am still searching for a good Marauder worthy name for Regulus. He will be an Animagus fox. The best option at this moment is slytail. Other options I've thought of or have been suggested to me are fentail, pufftail, and startail. Any suggestions will be appreciated, but they have to be Marauder-worthy to win!

P.S. I am awful with grammar and will be hopefully looking for a Beta writer. Be gentle when commenting, but I am looking for helpful tips. Without further ado

* * *

Year One

The sorting was finally over. Everyone sat at their respective tables and began to dig in the feast. James Potter sat next to Lily Evans on his left and fifth year, who had scuttled in after the sorting had finished, on his right. He looked across the table and spotted a small boy who was plagued by scars, and next to him, a boy who was looking down sullenly at his plate. He decided to try to strike up conversation with the red head beside him.

"So, Lily Evans, what are you looking forward to this year?" He asked the girl, specifically using her first and last name because that was how she introduced herself earlier. Her face lit up.

"I don't know, everything I think. Although I _do_ find potions and charms particularly interesting. I can't wait to learn exactly how to use my wand. I mean I have been trying but, the only thing I've been able to do is to turn my sister's cat bright pink, and I'm pretty sure that was an accident." She explained. The boy across from her looked at her with interest.

"Evans… Are you a Mudblood?" The boy pondered. The purebloods and half-bloods around him stared at the boy in shock. The boy sitting across from James with scars looked at the rude boy with a little terror in his eyes. James kicked him under the table. "Is… is that n-not the right th-thing to say?" He asked tentatively, looking towards James. James shook his head no with his eyes wide. "S-sorry" he stuttered and looked back down at his lap.

"What's a mudblood? And who are you anyway?" Lily inquired.

"Sirius Black." The boy answered. James sighed and rolled his eyes.

"Well, _that_ explains it. A Mudblood is a very rude word for Muggleborn. Meaning because you come from muggles you are no longer pure and have _mud_ in your _blood_. But since he is from the Black family, of course, he doesn't realize that's rude. Mudblood and Half-breed insults are thrown around as if they mean nothing." James clarified. Lily looked affronted.

"I think I've lost my appetite" Lily expressed, getting up and moving to sit with the other first year girls. James stared at her in surprise. He then turned back to Sirius and shrugged.

"Thanks, I guess." Sirius declared. James looked at him with one brow raised.

"For what?" he countered.

"For defending me, I think." Sirius sighed and James scooted so that he was sitting across from him. "Can we start over? And then maybe you could teach me how not to be, rude? I guess….. I don't understand…" he paused. "How that was the wrong thing to say. Maybe I was right and I shouldn't listen to my mother." He concluded, looking down at his plate in worry. James smiled.

"Sure." He started, putting forth his hand. "I'm James Potter." Sirius smiled gratefully and took the hand, with a certain gusto that was not present before.

"Sirius Black. So, it looks like we will be spending a lot of time together for the next seven years." Sirius stated, retreating his hand back to his lap. James grinned Mischievously.

"Yeah, we will. Hey, what do you think about pranks?" James queried. Sirius' face lifted up into a grin and his eyes lit up.

"I think we might just be perfect for each other James" Sirius announced.

* * *

"Alright, Girls through the door on the left, Boys to the right and don't fret to ask us any questions. we'll be glad to help." The Prefect shouted.

Sirius Black, James Potter, Remus Lupin, and Kingsley Shacklebolt went off to their dormitory to get ready for bed. Remus was the quickest to get his things and hurry off to the bathroom. So, while the other boys waited for their turns, James thought it would be best to get to know his roommates better.

"So, who are you?" James directed to the dark-skinned boy.

"Kingsley," the boy stated, "Shacklebolt" he added as an after-thought. James nodded.

"Well, I'm James Potter." He introduced.

"And I'm Sirius Black. Do you know anything about the other one?" Sirius inquired.

Kingsley shook his head." Do mind If I go next?" He asked.

"Sure" James answered. Sirius shrugged and flopped on his bed. James rolled his eyes and then got an idea.

James took a pillow from his bed and crept up to Sirius' bed, which was right beside his own. He looked at the boy and without another thought hit the brunet square on the stomach. The boy under attack jumped up surprised.

"What the hell was that for?" He screamed. James doubled over laughing.

"You- you sh-sh-should h-have s-s-s-seen your f-face!" James wheezed. Sirius glared at the laughing boy and then grabbed the pillow from his own bed and hit James on the head. "Oh, you're on!" James exclaimed, getting up and hitting Sirius back. By the time the lycanthrope was finished in the bathroom and came out, the dorm was covered in feathers and two boys were wrestling on _his_ bed.

Remus stood there watching them, not sure what to do. He worried his bottom lip and looked over at Kingsley for help.

"Don't ask me. One minute they were having a pillow fight and the next it was an all-out wrestling match. I'm not sure they can be stopped." Kingsley informed him. Suddenly the pillow from Remus' bed was taken and the scarred boy was hit. As soon as the culprit had realized what he had done, Sirius'(said culprit) eyes widened and he jumped off James and the bed, hiding the pillow behind his back. He then pointed a finger at James.

"He did it!" he accused. James glared at the brunet.

"Did not!" James shouted getting up from the bed.

"Did too!" Sirius countered hitting James with the pillow. Once again Remus found himself in front of two fighting boys. He started laughing.

"You two are ridiculous!" Remus charged in between laughs. Sirius and James stopped. Sirius raised an eyebrow while James squinted at the boy. They turned back to each other and shared a look.

"We're keeping you." They chorused.

* * *

"Come on you two! We need to get going or else we'll be late for breakfast!" James exclaimed as he waltzed through the dorm at seven o'clock in the morning. Sirius perked up when he heard breakfast.

"Breakfast? When?" he asked.

"Breakfast, now!" James yelled in the young boy's ear. Sirius sat up in bed and cracked his neck. He swung his legs out of bed and yawned.

"I'm coming, I'm coming." He decided, looking over at the bed where their new friend, Remus, lay. "Shouldn't we get him up too?" he queried.

"I've been trying for the past half hour to get _either_ of you up!" James ranted.

"How long have you been up, Mate?" Sirius wondered.

"Since six." James mentioned nonchalantly, "Now go get a shower and brush your teeth so we can get to breakfast before there's no more food left!" Sirius hurried to the bathroom and came out ten minutes later with a bucket of water.

"Reckon that'll wake him up?" Sirius enquired with a playful glint. James grinned and went over to help Sirius pour the water on to the small boy. Remus woke up with a start.

"What in the world was _that_ for?" He screeched, panting for breath.

"To wake you up." They replied in unison. Remus stared at them incredulously.

"What time is it?" Remus asked.

"Seven-fifteen," James replied.

"In the morning?" The scarred boy probed. The two other boys nodded. Remus fell back to bed. "Breakfast doesn't end till nine you dunderheads!" he yelled, knowing the only reason any one would be up at this time of day would be for breakfast.

James smiled sheepishly. "Sorry." He replied. Sirius glared at him.

"You interrupted my beauty sleep for nothing!" Sirius reproached. James rolled his eyes.

"Well, you're both up now so let's go get breakfast anyway." James encouraged. Remus groaned into his pillow.

When Remus and Sirius were both ready they filed down to the great hall. When they got there, they sat down by Lily and a boy whose name they did not know, but he wasn't a Gryffindor.

"Hello, Lily Evans. How did you sleep last night?" James asked charmingly. Lily smiled at the charming boy beside her, but her smile fell when she saw Sirius.

"Fine." She stated plainly. The boy she was talking to had shiny chin-length hair that almost looked greasy. He had dark chocolate brown eyes that were so dark, they truly looked as if he had black irises. He was short, but not small built for an eleven-year-old. He looked at Sirius with disdain. When Sirius spotted the boy's Slytherin tie, he knew he would hate him for eternity. Lily saw the two Gryffindors staring behind her. She turned to look for what they were staring at. Oh! Severus! She had forgotten about the Slytherin. "Oh yes, sorry. This is Severus, Severus Snape. I knew him before we came to Hogwarts. Sev, this is James Potter, Sirius Black and… I'm sorry who are you?" she asked, now noticing Remus. He gave her a shy smile as he left his 'hiding' position behind James.

"Remus, Remus Lupin. It's nice to meet you, Lily, uh, Severus, is it?" Remus inquired shyly. However he was ignored while Severus was glaring at Sirius.

"So, you're the one who called Lily a Mudblood?" he queried, sneering. Sirius and James glared.

"It was an accident, and He doesn't know better. Give him a break. He even apologized!" James defended. Severus squinted and leaned his head sideways.

"So, you're saying that even a rabid dog shouldn't be put down, just because he doesn't know better?" Snape enquired. James scrunched up his face in fury, while Sirius glared. Remus surprisingly spoke up.

"Sirius is nothing like a rabid dog. Rabid dogs have been infected with a disease that makes them act that way, Sirius was just raised in a terrible home. Besides, rabid dogs can't be trained, Sirius can." Remus fortified. "Also, rabid dogs don't show remorse. Perhaps you're the rabid dog." Remus insinuated. Snape gritted his teeth and glared.

"Come on Sev, we don't have time for these imbeciles." Lily huffed as she dragged the boy away from the table.

"Well we disinfected the table, now we can eat!" James declared.

"Thanks for that, Remus. You seem to have a way with words." Sirius complemented, smirking at the small boy.

"Thanks, but I feel terrible. I should go apologize. I'll see you later." Remus then ran off to find the pair that had left.

"Why should he feel _guilty_? it was Snape's fault for implying that I should be killed." Sirius wondered aloud. James sighed.

"Do you _really_ not understand _anything_ about normal people? Remus feels bad because he may have hurt someone's feelings. That's how things go most of the time. I always feel bad, but not bad enough to do anything about it. Like I feel bad for waking you up so early, but I'm still going to do it tomorrow. It's the way of life, Sirius. Deal with it." James explained. Sirius rolled his eyes and started piling food on his plate. Boy, would this be an interesting year!

* * *

Within the first week at Hogwarts, Sirius had gotten a howler from home. A 15-year-old Narcissa had brought it upon herself to tell the Black's what house her little cousin was in. Walburga and Orion Black were furious with their son. When the Howler finished shouting Sirius marched over to the Slytherin table with tears threatening to spill.

Sirius Orion Black was madder than he had felt since he got blamed for breaking a 500 year-old-vase that had actually been broken by his oldest cousin, Bellatrix. He was enraged. He had decided the minute he had gotten a place in Gryffindor, he would tell his parents near Christmas, so that he would be excused from going him due to his parent's state of mind. Narcissa ha had NO right to tell them. She of all people knew what would happen when he got home.

The Black family was known for their temper and rage towards people who were different than them. What was not known about the Black family is that they would beat their children into submission of a certain life style. Sirius had been told from a very young age that the only thing that was right was Slytherin. The only thing that was right was pure blood. The only thing that was right was hating Mudbloods. Everything he had ever know was twisted upside down the moment he sat on that stool with the hat on his head.

When Sirius had reached the Slytherin table he wasn't sure what to do. He was a Gryffindor, after all, so the first words out of his mouth were brash and unplanned.

"You bitch!" Sirius shrieked. The entirety of the hall turned to stare at the first year. Sirius' fists were clenched shut and his bottom lip was trembling. He bit his lip so it would stop. Narcissa turned around to see his trembling cousin. She smirked.

"Am I? I thought I would be doing you a favor by telling your Mummy and Daddy dearest. I thought I would take that weight off your shoulders. You should be thanking me." Narcissa boasted. Sirius wanted to hurt her. He wanted to hurt her bad.

"You. Had. NO _right_ to…" Sirius stopped and tried to compose himself. Andromeda had finally made her way over to her cousin and sister.

"He's right Narcissa. You shouldn't have told Uncle Orion and Aunt Walburga. However, she can't change it, Sirius. Let's get you out of here before the rumor mill starts." She whispered to the boy as she ushered him out of the hall. Once the great hall doors shut, she hugged her cousin. Sirius wasn't used to this sort of affection, especially not from her. He realized how much she had changed over the years. Sirius had felt awful. The tears were more than _threatening_ to spill, and a couple of them leaked and rolled down his face. Andromeda guided him over to a bench and sat down. "It's all right, Siri. Let it out." She encouraged.

Sirius could no longer hold back and finally let everything go. He wasn't normally the emotional type, but he couldn't stop it. He was so overwhelmed thinking about what would happen when he got home. He knew his parents would have been too furious to see him for a couple of weeks after he wrote to them. That is why he wanted to wait until right before Christmas, so he wouldn't be forced to go home. He knew what was waiting for him there. He couldn't help but cry thinking of what Narcissa had set him up for. Of course, he couldn't stop the eventual beating from happening. At least he would be able to put it off until school ended. Now he was left without that luxury.

Sirius was sobbing on his cousin's shoulder. He had never done this before. Should he try to stop? Should he let go of her and stop soiling her robes? He didn't want to. He had never felt safer before in his entire life. He doesn't ever remember being hugged before. His eyes felt droopy and he wanted to take a nap. Sirius's cries had lessened and Andromeda let the hiccupping boy out of her tight grasp. When Sirius looked back, he found James and Remus sitting next to him. His cheeks turned red.

"I-I'm s-sorry. I… I don't, I'm sorry." He hiccoughed again.

"Are you okay, Mate? I didn't realize the howler would upset you that much. I would have taken it and hid it if I had known." James explained. Sirius smiled softly.

"No, it wasn't the howler. I-I, I don't know," he turned and looked at Andy, "What happened. I'm sorry I ruined your robes, Andy. You didn't have to watch me cry, you know." He finished, he looked a lot less embarrassed than he felt. James clapped him on the back and Remus offered him some chocolate. Sirius smiled and took it.

Meanwhile, Andy shook her head. "Sirius, we all need to cry sometimes. Only you haven't been allowed to since you were born. There's nothing to be embarrassed about. Anyone would cry from a Howler like that. it's going to be about the same type of Howler that I'll get when _my_ parents find out I'm dating Ted Tonks from Hufflepuff. You'll get through it, Siri." She soothed.

"You're dating a _Hufflepuff_ ," James asked incredulously. Remus rolled his eyes.

"Forget him. I'm Remus, by the way." He greeted the girl.

"Andromeda. But call me Andy. And yes, I am dating a Hufflepuff. There is nothing wrong with Hufflepuff's just as there is nothing wrong with any other house. I need to get to class. Can I entrust you with the protection of my favorite cousin?" she asked James and Remus.

"I don't need _protecting_ Andy. I'm _fine_." Sirius proclaimed.

"Says the boy who just bawled his eyes out. We'll protect him, don't you worry Andy." James assured. Andromeda smiled, gave one last squeeze to Sirius, and went on her way. James had tried to help Sirius get up and walk, but was promptly pushed away by an irritated boy. The rest of the day they decided to not go to any classes. Remus took a lot of convincing to ditch with James and Sirius, but gave in after they promised hm their chocolate frogs. They all learned something new. Remus and James leaned Sirius could be sensitive. Sirius and Remus learned that James probably had a crush on Lily Evans, and James and Sirius learned Remus could be persuaded to do almost anything with the promise of Chocolate.

A/N Thre we have it! Chapter 1! The next chapter will cover Christmas through the end of the year. Hopefully, it will be up next week. I am also writing a fanfiction with NoHinny called Fixed Points. Check it out if you would like to see Harry's time at Hogwarts- the way it should have been.


	2. Sirius' Birthday(Updated)

A/N Hey here's the next chapter. Btw I don't know how you haven't already guessed it but I'm not J.K. Rowling. I don't own one bit of the Harry Potter franchise. The characters and ideas are all hers. I may tweak them though. We all like to tweak them.

Also, I decided to do three parts to year one. It's just too much to cover year one in two chapters.

* * *

Year 1 part 2

James was mad. Well, not really. He was frustrated with his best friend. They had to find out it was Sirius' birthday from Andy. On November 3, 1971, Sirius, and James walked into the Great Hall and sat in their usual spots on the Gryffindor table. Sirius and James sitting next to each other on the left side of the table, facing away from the rest of the hall. Remus would be sitting across from them if he had not gone home for the night. It was an odd thing Remus had done every so often, leave without a _good_ explanation. But his new friends never pushed him. They enjoyed the boy. And they still would after they found out about Remus' 'furry little secret'. The two Gryffindor first years were so consumed by their breakfast, so Sirius and James didn't see Andy making her way over to them.

"Good morning, Sirius." Andy greeted. The two boys turned around in surprise. James started eyeing the wrapped package that was under her arm. She smiled. She made to put the package on Sirius' plate, but Sirius abruptly took the package from her.

"What are doing, Andy?" Sirius glared at her and looked at the scarlet colored package he had taken from her. The tag on the package said " _To Sirius, From Regulus. I'm sorry for the way Mum and Dad have been treating you. I'll do what I can to keep you from coming home for Christmas. Happy Birthday!"_ Sirius tried not to get emotional from the sentiment of his younger brother.

"Happy Birthday, Sirius." She bent down and kissed the boy on the cheek. He huffed. Sirius glanced back at his friends nervously. James was staring wide-eyed back at him. Sirius huffed and turned to his food ignoring his friends.

James looked from Andy to Sirius. He turned to Andy.

"What's wrong with him?" James asked slowly. She smiled ruefully.

"He hates his birthday. In his defense, he has plenty of reason not to like it." Andy fortified. Sirius huffed again.

"Andy," he growled. She shook her head at him before turning back to James.

"As you can tell, our family isn't the most loving family there could be. Love is shown by _not_ insulting someone and, if you love them very much, not yelling at them. The most attention Sirius has ever gotten on his birthday was on the actual day he was born. The rest is 'celebrated' by the 'birthday boy' getting to do whatever he wants if he does it quietly. Sirius has _never_ done _anything_ quietly. His birthdays ended up with him getting 'punished' by his mother. At least my parents have learned it's more of a private matter." She finished grimly. James brow furrowed in understanding and he frowned.

"Mate, I…." James was promptly interrupted by an irritated now twelve-year-old.

"Look, I'm not a lost and injured puppy. Stop looking at me with pity. I can handle myself at home and I don't need you to worry about me." Sirius completed with a, what could only be described as adorable, pout. James at first wanted to laugh at his statement of himself as 'not a puppy,' because, gosh did he look like one.

"I understand you don't want my pity. No one wants someone to pity them. I think it's pretty safe to say you're my best mate and that means I _do_ have the right to worry about you. Plus, if I had known, I could have made this birthday your best one yet. Guess it'll just have to wait until Remus comes back and I have time to write mum. Goodness, how could you _not_ tell me it was your _birthday!_ Even if you hate it, I would have still like to have known." James scolded. Andy looked like she agreed with that.

"Where is Remus anyway?" she asked the boys. They both shrugged.

"He says he went home because his mum was sick. The thing is, his mum was sick two times over the last two months as well." Sirius explained while setting his present beside him, promising himself he'd open it later. James rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, it's not like his Mum could still be sick. No, when people get sick they get better immediately and it never comes back. What if it's some sort of terminal illness? Like some muggle one that even _wizards_ have no clue what to do about." James replied.

"Well, he could still come up with a better excuse. You know, one that is less vague?" Sirius retorted. James shook his head. Andromeda just ruffled the brunet's hair and bid them goodbye.

* * *

The rest of the day was rather uneventful. They had Charms and Transfiguration. In Transfig. they decided to ask Professor McGonagall when Remus was coming back. The woman sighed. She looked worryingly at the boys and said he should be back in the dormitory sometime tonight.

They went back to the common room and decided to plot a few mischievous tricks they could do once they knew more magic. So far in the year, James and Sirius were only able to do so much. They had levitated their DADA professor's toupee off his head and revealed to the entire school he had one. The two naughty boys had also decided to taunt a tabby cat hanging around the Transfiguration classroom, but that had backfired when the cat turned into Professor McGonagall. She looked far too satisfied when she saw the two boys scared out of their wits.

When they told Remus the story of their misfortune he had actually fallen out of his chair laughing. James and Sirius didn't find it half as funny as the scarred boy, but they ended up giggling along as well.

When they had finally decided to go up to their dorm, it was about ten o'clock at night. They ran up the stairs, walking into an assumed empty dormitory (as Kingsley was still downstairs studying), only to find their friend lying on his bed. They found this strange because neither of them had seen Remus go upstairs. They turned to each other to see what the other thought and were met with an identical expression on the others face. Wide eyes, brow's disappearing into their hairline and mouth's slightly agape.

"Did you see him come up?" Sirius asked his counterpart. James' brow furrowed in thought and he bit his cheek. He started shaking his head slowly.

"Nope, no I don't think so. I'm guessing you didn't see him either, then?" James countered. Sirius shook his head as well and sighed. He made his way to the sleeping boy to check on him. When he got there, he noticed the youngster was covered in _new_ scars from head to toe. From the way Remus was positioned, he most likely just threw himself on his bed and pulled a cover over his shoulder, not bothering to cover his legs.

"No, this won't do." He said shaking his head once more at the boy. "Why is he covered in scars? He said he went home… Do you think they're beating him?" He asked, scared for the answer. He would of course still be friends with the boy. I mean, he of _all_ people would know what that's like. But poor, innocent, defenseless, little Remus being beaten helpless. No, he would have to do something about that.

James sighed and went over to look at Remus for himself.

"No, it looks like…. scratches or something. I don't think this could be the work of a parent. Plus, wouldn't he have more bruises then?" James pointed out, looking at Sirius because, sadly, the other boy had more experience with this sort of thing. Sirius turned his head to the side and bit his lip.

"Yeah... Yeah, I guess you're right. He would have a lot more bruises. The thing is, what _could_ they be from?" Sirius asked the raven-haired child. James scrunched his face up in thought for a while before loosening up his expression and sighing.

"I have absolutely _no_ idea. We could wake him up and ask him." James suggested. Sirius considered this for a moment.

"No. Well, not intentionally." Sirius added with a playful smile. James grinned and picked up the pillow underneath Remus' head and hit Sirius with it. Sirius' eyes lit up and his brow raised as in asking 'Really? This is how you want to do it? Oh, you're on.' Sirius ran across the room to his own bed and grabbed the pillow. He then began striking his attacker. Once again, Remus found himself stumped by a pillow fight between Sirius and James. Only this time it was happening directly over him, with one boy on each side of his bed; reaching over him to hit the other one.

"What the hell are you two wankers doing?" Remus asked incredulously, sounding completely done with the pair of pranksters. Over the past couple months, Remus had taken up to swearing. Well, at least that was the impression he gave Sirius, James, and pretty much everyone else in the school. For some reason, everyone thought Remus was so innocent. Maybe it was because he was so polite to people. All Remus knew is he had surprised Sirius and James when he uttered his first 'shit'. They must have thought Remus had wanted to expand his vocabulary now he was away from his parents. Little did the two pure-bloods know, Remus' father swore like a sailor. His mother never really liked it, but she never tried too hard to stop him. Now Remus' first thought when he ran into something was, 'Shite' or 'Fucking shit'. For an eleven-year-old, he had quite the dirty vocabulary.

Finally, Remus sat up in bed, so that the other two boys in the room would, in fact, notice his presence. Sirius grinned and hugged the small boy. Yes, he hugged Remus. Ever since the Black had realized how nice physical affection felt, he never stopped _some_ sort of physical contact with _someone_. Anyone, really. Remus winced, feeling Sirius come across his broken rib. He quickly covered it up with a small chuckle and a tired smile.

"How was your trip?" James asked. Remus looked at him like he had two heads.

"Trip?" Remus challenged. Sirius looked at him confusedly.

"Your trip home?" Sirius supplied for him. Remus remembered the fib he had told them yesterday and inwardly winced.

"Uh, yes. It was good. I, um, my Mum is feeling much better." Remus lied. He really needed to keep track of his lies. James smiled, a bit sadly, Remus remarked inwardly. Sirius looked like he wanted to ask Remus something. "What's on your mind, Sirius?"

Sirius sighed. "Where'd you get all those scars?" He blurted out without any tact whatsoever.

Remus tensed. What could he tell them now? Do they think his parents did this? That would be a reasonable lie to get him out of this and Sirius would understand why he didn't want to talk to him about it further. No, he couldn't use his parents as a scapegoat. But what could he tell them?

Maybe he should just tell them the truth. No. no that was _not_ an option. Sirius was a _Black_ for Merlin sakes. The Blacks reputation was enough of a reason for not wanting to tell him. Yes, James may be a little more understanding, but Remus knew the routine by heart. He would tell his friends and either they would 'accept' him or run away as fast and as far as they could. Then they would tell their parents. Eventually, the Lupin's would either be run out of the neighborhood with pitchforks or with rude insults and unpleasant stares from everyone around them. The friends who _did_ 'accept' him would always pull further and further way until they never even looked at him any longer. He couldn't handle it _again_. He especially didn't think he could deal with those stares coming from James and Sirius. He also knew that he probably wouldn't make it to the end of the year at Hogwarts, not only because of the hurtful looks but because the other student's parents would demand him expelled from the school. No. he couldn't, _wouldn't_ let that happen. Sirius and James could never, ever, know.

Remus had always hoped so much to be able to go to Hogwarts. He and his parents were so thrilled to find out the boy had magic. Ever since he could remember he wanted to go to Hogwarts. But Fenrir Greyback had taken that luxury from him the moment he took Remus' normal life. The dreadful full moon before his fifth birthday had been the turning point in Remus' life. He had lost his innocence, his childhood, and his future the moment Greyback took that bite.

He could never go to Hogwarts and endanger the entire student body. How would they be able to make an exception for one child when they had over 1000 _other_ students to think about. No, Remus had to come to terms with the fact he would never go to Hogwarts, never have a Hogwarts house, and never walk the halls of that mysterious castle

Then, Dumbledore, the great wizard he was, came and changed that perspective for Remus once and for all. Dumbledore told Remus he would be able to come to that amazing school. He would have a school house, and the only condition was that Remus tells no one about _his_ condition. Remus could have all he had ever dreamt about- a semi-normal life. Remus couldn't go back and betray Dumbledore's trust, no. No way could he tell Sirius and James.

"Uh, I have a rabid rabbit." Remus lied once more.

"A rabid rabbit?" Sirius inquired. Remus nodded. "What's its name?"

"Fluffy," Remus regretted that _that_ was the first thing that came to mind.

"Fluffy the rabid rabbit. Hey, Sirius say that three times fast. Rabid Rabbit, rabid rabbit, rabid rabbit." James laughed as the words kept getting more jumbled together. Sirius stared at his friend.

"Rabid Rabbit, rabid rabbit, rabid rabbit." He mumbled to himself, "yeah, you're right! That is hard to say" Sirius laughed at himself. Remus smiled at his friends. No, he could never lose this.

* * *

When James woke up the next morning, he went straight over to Remus' bed, pulled the curtains open, and yanked the small boy out of his peace. Remus awoke with a start.

"What the fuck James!" he exclaimed. He was shut up by a glare and James shushing him.

"They're still asleep." James pointed out.

"Why aren't I asleep then?" Remus asked staring at James like he had just taken Remus' ice cream from him. James rolled his eyes.

"Because we need to plan Sirius' birthday party," James explained slowly. Remus turned his head to the side and smirked.

"You figured out when his birthday is?" Remus countered. James nodded his head.

"Yesterday. And he _hates_ his birthday. Like absolutely despises it. That's why he didn't tell us. But Andy came over with a present for him. I think it was from his brother, but I could be wrong. Anyway, we are planning a party for him with Andy's help. He needs to understand why birthdays are AMAZING." James enlightened the child in front of him. Remus' brow furrowed in concern.

"Why does he hate his birthday? He seems like the type who would love to be celebrated." Remus pointed out.

"I would think so too." James agreed enthusiastically. "But he loathes it. He reasons too. It seems like he got birthday beatings instead of birthday presents. At least, that's what Andy implied." James finished with a sigh. Remus thought for a moment.

"Then we will _have_ to show him why birthdays are amazing." Remus decided.

After Breakfast, they went to Andromeda, who was currently hanging out with Ted, her boyfriend. They were sitting on a bench, talking, and Ted's arm was placed over her shoulder. As they walked up to the couple James cleared his throat and put on his best gentlemen look.

"May we borrow your girlfriend for a while?" James asked politely as he could. Ted smiled.

"That depends. What are you going to do with her?" He asked good-humoredly. He got a playful swat from the girl in question. He cowered down a bit.

"What do you need me for James?" Andy asked, almost as if she was regretting the answer.

"Why do you sound so disappointed, milady? We just want help from a seventh year to plan her cousin's birthday party." James explained, the voice lacking innocence he was trying to portray.

"It sounds a lot more mischievous when you say it like that, Potter." Andromeda disputed. Remus rolled his eyes and spoke up.

"Trust me he's not planning anything bad, he really just can't sound blameless. We just need to know things only a seventh year could. Like the best place to throw a party, where to get food, and how not to get caught." Remus clarified.

"Oh, well I can help you with that" Ted supplied. They all looked at him funny before Andy finally caught on.

"Oh, yes, the kitchens are right next to the Hufflepuff common room. You showed _me_ the Come and Go Room, but, well, I really doubt you know how not to get caught. You trip on air so loudly you couldn't surprise a deaf chihuahua." She chuckled as her boyfriend turned bright red. He was quite clumsy.

"That's beside the point, Dromeda. These boys need help with _your_ cousin's birthday and _we_ are going to help them." Ted explained. The two first-years smiled thankfully.

* * *

On Saturday, they all had their jobs. James was to distract Sirius all day by exploring the castle, making sure not to cross paths with any of his crew, of course. Ted was getting all the food they would need.

Cake- _check._ Treacle tart- _check_. Yorkshire pudding- _check_. Tea- _check_. Butterbeer- _check._ _Don't you think butter beer is a little strong for the first year?_ He asked himself. _Well, I'll make sure no more than one bottle per child then._ He decided to head back to the Come and Go Room from the kitchens.

Andy oversaw decorating the room, with Remus' help, of course. It wasn't too difficult since the room did whatever you told it. Then Andy was sent off with money to get Sirius more presents, while Remus was to discover if Sirius had already opened the present from his brother.

He hadn't.

Remus found his mission complete; so, he headed back to the Come and Go Room with the present in hand. When he arrived, he placed the present on a table and looked around the room. They had really done a great job.

The room was colored gold on the walls with red finishes. It didn't look very fancy though. It looked homey: much like the Gryffindor common room. There was a fire-pit-like thing in the middle of the room. Only Remus and Ted knew why. Ted had acquired a bag of marshmallows and gram crackers during summer break. He had been waiting for the perfect moment to show his girlfriend yet another wonder of the muggle world- Smores. Remus provided the chocolate- being a chocolate hoarder and all- and decided to sit down on the nice comfortable couches.

Ted got there soon after Remus, with his arms full of food and drink for the event. When he finished putting down all the food and setting nicely on the table, he went over and sat next to Remus. The tired boy looked at him as he sat down.

"You got all the food?" Remus asked him. Ted smiled and nodded. "Good."

Ted stared at the tired, scarred boy. He shook his head, trying to figure out how to breach the subject. Ted had found a place in his heart for Remus that seemed to be a bit larger than its space for James or even Sirius. He really wanted to know why the small boy was plagued with all these scars. He wouldn't judge the boy no matter what, but he really thought Remus should have someone to talk to about his troubles.

When Remus realized why Ted was staring at him, he instinctively pulled down the sleeves of his jumper and buried his face in his arms (which were resting on his bent knees that were on the couch). Ted shook himself out of his daze.

"So, how have classes been? Any trouble with them?" he asked Remus.

"Classes have been good. Potions hasn't been easy, but I've always loved a challenge. How has studying for your N.E.W.T.'s been?" Remus inquired. Ted chuckled softly, and he was about to answer when Andromeda came bounding in with bags of presents.

They were mostly from her. She was really starting to realize what would happen when she told her parents about Ted. She would be disowned and have no family, except for maybe Sirius-if he lived that long. When she understood that Sirius may be her only family left after this year, she wanted to make sure he wouldn't leave her too. She may have been going a little overboard, though. Luckily, she still had access to her family vault.

She set the presents down, waved her wand and the presents started wrapping themselves. Ted, now being in the wizarding world for seven years, still gaped at the sight before him.

The presents were wrapped. The food was ready. Now all they had to do was wait for James to do his part.

James didn't do his part very well. They were exploring the dungeons when they had come across one Severus Snape. Of course, they _had_ to taunt him, for some reason no one knew, and they both ended up in the infirmary with hexes covering their bodies.

Luckily, the food could be put under a preservation spell and the party postponed until the next day.

When Sirius walked in the Come and Go Room, he stood still amazed at what James, Remus, Andy, and Ted had done for him. But he did _not_ tear up. No way. Not him. He _wasn't_ _ **emotional**_. No siree.

Sirius had finally enjoyed his birthday, for once in his life. He was a little frustrated that they had snuck into his personal things and gotten his present from Regulus. He was more surprised than anything to find out it was _Remus_ who had done it. Poor, innocent, helpless Remus.

 _Merlin, why is it_ _ **so**_ _surprising I can be mischievous?_ Remus thought to himself.

In all, Sirius knew this was something he was never going to forget. Ever.

A/N: there it is. The next chapter. A little longer than the other one. Just a tad bit. If you want to know what they got Sirius you're just going to have to ask me in the comments. *Grins mischievously* Anyway I hope you liked it. Please, please, please comment. Next chapter will cover Christmas and the end of the year. Sorry this got out a little later I expected but I do have a life. Until next time

~Marauderfascination


	3. Presents

A/N nothing you recognize is mine

* * *

Presents

Sirius, James, Remus, Ted, and Andy all sat on the couches around the fire-pit. Sirius was in the middle with Andromeda and Ted to his left, and James and Remus to his right. He felt sort of watched and Sirius wasn't sure if he like it or not. He remembered a time around Christmas when all the adults would watch the children open their gifts. Maybe he did like it.

The presents sat on the table in front of him. He counted eight presents in all. The one from Regulus that Remus took was there as well.

"So, what should I open first?" Sirius asked, not sure how to proceed. Andy chuckled.

"Just pick one, Siri. There's no one here to tell you not to." Andromeda told him. Sirius stared at the table, eyes dancing from present to present. He looked at the one he knew was from Regulus and picked t up.

He carefully started unwrapping the package- knowing not to do anything ungraceful- until James abruptly took it from his hands, ripped off the wrapping paper and handed the box back to Sirius. Remus shook his head and muttered something along the lines of, 'impatient dickhead.'

Sirius opened the lid of the box and promptly fell over laughing. James and Remus looked at Sirius with concern while Andromeda looked in the box. She laughed and held up a pair of Gryffindor patterned boxers. The rest of the group started laughing as well.

When Sirius finally recovered, he looked in the box again and found a matching pair of socks.

"Wow, matching socks. _Now_ I have _true_ house spirit. Where did he even find these anyway?" Sirius asked. James looked down at his lap.

"The Underwear Emporium," James muttered only loud enough for the rest of them to hear him. Sirius and Remus stared at him.

"Why do you know that, James?" Remus interrogated. James stared even more intently at his hands. He sighed

"Because my Mum bought me a pair with snitches," James admitted. The room was then filled with hysterical laughter. "Shut up," James whined as he threw a pillow at Sirius.

"Oh, are we gonna do that again?" Sirius countered.

"Please no," Remus begged. Andy sighed.

"No, Sirius. You have other presents to open." She prompted.

Suddenly, Sirius could not help but feel excited. He ripped open the next present with much more gusto. Although he frowned when he saw it was a book. He scowled, even more, when he saw that is was _James_ who had given it to him.

" _Charms and Hexes for Children with Malicious Intent._ " Sirius read, a grin slyly appearing on his face." Oh, what we can do with this!" he exclaimed. Now he understood why James gave him a _book._

James smiled, "I knew you would like it. Now hurry up! I need to know what they got you." He pushed.

Sirius ended up opening his present from Ted, next. His brow furrowed in confusion with what he saw.

"What's a 'Talkie Walkie'?" Sirius asked as he looked at the three small devices. He picked one up by the antenna and looked at it as if it was about to explode.

Ted chuckled, "'Walkie Talkie' they're like instant communication. Even if one of you is in detention and the other in the common room." Remus picked one up with his eyes wide open in wonder.

"Oh! I've heard about these! But, they won't work here. Too much magical interference." Remus concluded, sounding disappointed.

"Not if you know the tight charms." He corrected. Ted picked up one of the walkie talkies and walked outside the room. As the doors shut they heard _"Hello, Captain? Can you hear me? Over and out."_ Come from the other two walkies.

Remus immediately picked another up. "Roger that. Over and out." He announced. Ted came striding back in moments later.

"See? Told you." He said. Sirius snatched the talkie out of Ted's hands and James picked up the last from the table.

"Woah" the two pureblood boys chorused.

Andromeda smiled. She was glad her cousin was happy. Being away from that wretched house was doing great things for him. Sirius now reminded he of the free willed toddler he once was.

In the end, Sirius got 1 pound of chocolate from Remus, 2 pounds of random candy, a magically re-filling water-gun, a container of wooden block puzzles, and a package of Zonkos products as well.

In hindsight, Andromeda probably wouldn't have gotten Sirius something from Zonkos.


	4. Holiday Break

A/N This chapter will be covering Christmas. I really wanted to get the whole year done in this chapter but it's too much.

Disclaimer- I do not own the Harry Potter franchise, otherwise Ginny Weasley _**wouldn't**_ be Ginny Potter and Sirius Black _**would**_ be Sirius Lupin. Also, barely half of what I'm writing is cannon. Keep that in mind

 **WARNING** : **this chapter will have depictions of abuse. I will put a warning before the scene so you can skip it if you would like. Only doing this so I don't get chastised. I know some people don't like reading things like that so.**

Year 1 part 3

After Sirius's birthday came and went, Christmas neared closer by the hour. All three boys, James, Sirius, and Remus, were excited. No, _more_ than excited, Thrilled. Out of all the holidays, Sirius hated because of his family, Christmas had not been tainted- yet. Remus was even excited. Despite it being only a week before the full moon, he was set on having a good Christmas.

Remus had always loved Christmas. Even if it was only a few days before or after the full moon, he still enjoyed the cheery holiday. His family didn't have a lot of money for presents, or for anything really, but they always made the best cookies. Mrs. Hope Lupin was the best cookie baker in the world- according to Remus. Around Christmas, she would make batches and batches of cookies of all types. Some they would use a cookie cutter on, others were just round and delicious. Always delicious. Remus couldn't wait to send his new friends a batch of his mother's delicacy. Well, he didn't have money for any _actual_ presents, so he hoped the cookies would suffice.

James enjoyed Christmas almost _too_ much. He always got what he wanted each year. There was always a cake, and a party, and lots of people who absolutely adored him. What was there not to love? His parents Christmas party was one of the best around. It _almost_ matched the Malfoy's Christmas Ball. The Potter's were one of the oldest pureblood families around, not to mention one of the richest. Luckily, as the blood-traitors they are, they are also one of the nicest pureblood families.

The Potter's went to all the events- ministry, charity, and the like- but Fleamont and Euphemia always kept James out of it. James never went to an event and the only parties he attended were the few ones they hosted at their mansion. Yes, their mansion. In fact, the only parties James was allowed to join were the Potter's annual Christmas parties. Not that James minded. He never did like dressing up in a stuffy suit, but he did like being paraded around. He also likes the attention he got from the stuffy suit. For the sake of Christmas, he tried not to mind the suit and instead tried to enjoy his surroundings. The Christmas trees, the tinsel, the fairy lights, the Mistletoe- Oh what he would do for some Mistletoe and Lily Evans, but that's not the point. The point was that James Loved every minute of Christmas and couldn't wait to invite his friends to stay with him.

Sirius venerated Christmas the most out of the group. Sirius's 'family' hosted many people at their house, sometimes even the Minister of Magic. They held a great Christmas meal for all their guests and even had plenty of presents for Sirius and Regulus. To keep up appearances, Walburga and Orion would give each boy a respectable number of gifts, promise not to beat them if they behaved, and left them alone in between meal times. Christmas was the best in Sirius' mind. But he enjoyed his birthday almost as much now.

Although, as Christmas drew nearer, Sirius was on edge. He knew the minute he stepped foot in Number 12 Grimmauld Place, he would be beaten to a pulp by his mother. Not only had Sirius disgraced his family by being placed in Gryffindor, but he was friends with blood-traitors and half-bloods. The Black Scion was now considered a blood traitor- which although Sirius couldn't be happier about that fact- he knew exactly what the consequences would be. But maybe- just maybe- he could get away from the people he calls his family. He doubted Regulus would be able to convince them that Sirius shouldn't come home for Christmas break, but he could always hope. Sirius loved his little brother. Regulus and Andromeda were the only relatives he was proud to call his family.

One morning, a few days before Christmas break, James got the letter he had been hoping for. It was one from his parents saying he could invite his friends over for Christmas break. He was thrilled in hearing his parent's response. He knew they would be wary of Sirius, him being part of the Black family and all, so he purposefully left out the young boy's name. Nonetheless, James could invite his two favourite people on earth to his home, Remus, and Sirius. They were also allowed to stay until school started up again.

James was grinning as he walked up to the first-year boy's dorm. He knew Sirius would be there. He wasn't sure if Remus would be or not, but if he wasn't in their dorm, he was studying with Evans. God, why would she like to be around Remus over himself? James would never know.

As he walked in the room, James saw Sirius on his bed reading. Yes, he was reading. Don't get too huffy he was reading about hexes and jinxes. Two of his favourite things to cast on people. Ever since James had gotten that book for Sirius for his birthday, Sirius had gotten detention twenty times in a matter of one and a half months.

"Hey mate!" James greeted as he plopped on Sirius' bed. Sirius looked up and smiled.

"Hey. I found the perfect charm for snivillous for us to cast on him. It will make him dance and sing whatever we choose. Don't you think he'd look funny singing Blodwyn Bludd(Pronounced "Bleeth" with a strong "th") and dancing an Irish jig?" Sirius asked.

James laughed. "Yes, and if it's good enough we might have to make it a yearly tradition. We should do it right before we leave for Christmas. That way he'll be dancing and singing until someone finds him and takes it off. I hear he's staying over Christmas break. Speaking of…." James trailed off. Sirius scowled and looked away.

"I don't want to talk about Christmas break. My parents sent me a letter last night saying they're expecting me home. I don't have a choice." Sirius finished solemnly. James frowned.

"Well, why don't you come home with me? I just got a letter from my parents saying I could. That's actually what I came up here to do. Please, stay with me over Christmas break." James begged.

Sirius stared intensely at his book. "I can't. if I don't come home, they might take their anger out on Regulus. I hope not, but they might. Even if he's their favourite now, I don't know that that will spare him. I have to protect him. You wouldn't understand" Sirius grumbled shaking his head. James nodded, knowing there was no use in fighting the brunet.

"Fine but of it gets bad, _promise_ me that you will floo over. No matter how late. No matter what it is. If it gets to be too much, know that I will be there for you." James reprimanded. Sirius sighed.

"Yeah, of course," Sirius replied.

* * *

When it came time to go home, Sirius, James, and Remus all boarded the train. The boys were trying to hold back their laughter until they got to a compartment. When they finally reached their destination, they all plopped down, laughing hysterically.

"Oh, my fucking god! We HAVE to do that every single year. I mean, we literally have to!" Sirius exclaimed waving his hands in the air to express his point. Remus laughed even more.

"Sirius, how the fucking shite did you do that? I mean, that was brilliant, and you're, well…." Remus trailed off.

Sirius faked looking scandalized. "Remus! Do you not think I am just absolutely brilliant? I am hurt. No really, just hurt. You know what, I don't think I can look at you. Turn away, Remus, turn away." Sirius commanded. He then laughed as Remus actually did it. "Remus, I was joking. Jeesh, can't you take a joke?"

"I knew you were joking. That's why I did it. Anyway, why in the world did you make Snape sing and dance in front of the entire school. It was a bit cruel." Remus stated. Sirius smirked.

"That is exactly why I made him sing and dance in front of the entire school. Snivellous deserves it, the git. He purposefully made me look like a fool in potions and you know it." Sirius whined. James was still laughing, but he was finally calming down.

"If we don't do that every year I think I might actually die. Did you see the look on his face?" James asked. He never got his answer because they were abruptly interrupted.

"Did _you_ make Severus do that? Potter? Black?" Lily Evans shrieked as she barged in their cabin. James smirked.

"It was his idea, but I helped Sirius carry it out. Didn't you think it was funny?" James questioned. Evans glared and looked as if she was about to explode.

"You idiot! How could you find that funny? Why did Severus deserve _that_? You made a fool of him in front of the _entire_ _school_. And do you _really_ think no one will find out _you_ made him do that? how did you make him do that?" Evans ranted.

Sirius smirked. "Snivellous _deserved_ it because he purposefully made me look foolish in potions. As for how we did it- you'll never know." He bragged. Evans looked as if she could murder him. She was breathing heavily and glared as if he was the bane of her existence.

"Black, you make yourself look foolish without Severus's help. I couldn't care less of how you did it; as long as I never see it happen again." Evans spat, and then turned to Remus, "I don't understand how you could possibly like these two… these two… imbeciles!" she shouted shakily. Lily then turned to glare at James one last time before she stormed out of the cabin.

Remus felt guilty for laughing. She was right. If it had been him who was charmed to dance an Irish jig and sing Blodwyn Bludd, he wouldn't have laughed.

"I sort of feel bad she was so upset, but I don't understand. Why _is_ she so upset? It wasn't _her_ who was dancing and singing "Long Live the Vampire in Me." (A/N My own title. I made it up and could only imagine Snape singing this. I laughed ((he does kind of act like a vampire))) It doesn't make sense!" James exclaimed. Sirius rolled his eyes.

"I don't even understand what's so bad about it. It's not like he got hurt. What's the big deal?" Sirius asked, truly confused with what was so wrong about it. Remus shook his head.

"You two have big problems. I think they are too big for me to fix." Remus stated getting out a book to read.

James' brow furrowed and he stared at Sirius. Sirius wore a similar expression and looked as if he was thinking.

"I don't see it." Sirius finally stated.

"Me either" James agreed. They got out a game of exploding naps and played till they reach platform 9 ¾.

* * *

As the Train pulled up to the station, Sirius got very panicky. He felt as if he wanted to cry but his eyes were completely dry. The young boy started to hyperventilate and closed his eyes to try and calm down. James noticed this and pulled the brunet into a hug.

"Everything will be alright, Sirius. And remember, you have my floo address. Use it if you must. I will not mind; nor will my parents." James reminded him. They got off the train and collected their luggage. James led Remus and himself over to his parents. He was ecstatic when he found out Remus could stay for Christmas; even if he had to leave for New Years. They glanced at Sirius one last time before greeting the Potters. Euphemia and Fleamont were waiting with open arms.

"James! Come here, we have missed you so much." Mr. Potter said as he pulled the boy into a hug. After James father let go, his mother pulled him into an even deeper hug, not letting go for a while. Remus stood there awkwardly, staring at the ground not sure what to do.

"James! You barely wrote. How many times did we tell you to use that owl we got you? Do we have to take him away since he is in such little use?" Mrs. Potter scolded the raven-haired child. James cowed and apologized. Remus chuckled, not thinking James cowed to anyone. Being the very arrogant child, he is, James never looked sorry for anything.

When Mrs. Potter was done chastising the boy, she looked over to see a very skinny, scarred, boy with soft, curly, brown hair. She smiled at him.

"You must be Remus. We've heard much about you. We're thrilled that you can stay with us for the holiday, even if it is only for a week." Euphemia greeted. Remus blushed slightly and smiled back at her.

"Yes, it's so nice to meet you, Mrs. Potter. Thank you for having me." Remus replied in a small voice. Mrs. Potter smiled even more.

"Please, call me Mia. (I am giving her a nickname out of pure laziness because I don't want to type out Mrs. Potter or Euphemia every time) And you are very welcome. Now let's go boys. I want to help Willy with dinner. He still tries to everything himself, no matter what I say." Mia said shaking her head in disapproval.

"Willy?" Remus inquired. _Do they have a servant_? Remus wondered.

"Willy is our House Elf, but he's old and tries to do all the house work plus all the cooking when he can barely move around. He's ridiculous, but he's probably going to die soon anyway, so my mother refuses to let him off." James explained rolling his eyes. Remus' eyes widened in shock.

"You have a House Elf? Wow! I've never actually seen one before, but Ted says they have hundreds in Hogwarts' kitchen." Remus babbled excitedly. James laughed.

"You really haven't seen one before? Well, don't get _too_ excited. They're just ugly little creatures that do housework. Really, not a big deal." James enlightened.

"Well, for _you_ , _of course_ , it is not exciting. But think of how amazing they are. They can _apparate_ through Hogwarts wards, _and_ with a snap of their fingers cook an entire dinner _and_ clean an entire room! It's brilliant!" Remus said, even more, excited than before.

"God, Remus, you can make boring things sound even _more_ boring. You really should have been in Ravenclaw." James told the small boy.

"I'm a Gryffindor and you just have to deal with it. Plus, what is wrong with being fascinated by House Elves. They _are_ amazing creatures. Just because you don't have any natural magical properties like that doesn't mean you need to be jealous." Remus playfully reprimanded him. Mia smiled and chuckled.

"He's right, Jamsie. Excuse James, he has always been somewhat appalled by my old house. Always wanting to be a Gryffindor like his father. He's never appreciated knowledge or books. It might change someday, hopefully." Mia claimed.

"You were in Ravenclaw? My dad was too. My parents were sure I would go there as well but the hat surprised them, and me, with its decision. I like Gryffindor, though." Remus told them.

"Of course, you do, my boy. Who wouldn't? In my day, Gryffindor was at it's prime. Professor Dumbledore was the Head of House. A brilliant time. He is an amazing man, doing great things for Hogwarts as it's Headmaster. The exact opposite of his predecessor's. For example, Phineas Black. Awful man, he was. The whole Black family. With an exception of my mother, of course." Fleamont lectured. James scowled. He knew his father was trying to get at something.

"Sirius isn't like his family, Dad. In fact, he's _nothing_ like them. But you probably won't believe me until you meet him. Are we really related to the Blacks?" James asked trying to stray from the subject of Sirius. He was worried sick about the young boy and wanted to get home and get his mind off it.

"Yes, but I believe it's mostly by marriage and quite a few times removed. I trust your judgment James, but the Black family is bad news. Even if he isn't like his family, it won't do well to associate yourself with him. But of course, it's your choice. It won't matter either way, to us, James, we just want to warn you." Fleamont clarified.

"I agree with you, Mr. Potter, but Sirius really isn't bad. He is a lot of fun, but he's damaged. You're right, the Black family is bad news, but there are exceptions. Such as Sirius' cousin Andromeda. She's amazing and is even dating a Muggleborn. But Sirius' Mother is absolutely _awful_." Remus explained. Mr. Potter sighed.

"I suppose to every rule, there are always a few exceptions. But like you said, Walburga Black is absolutely dreadful. I heard she has been talking to the Minister, trying to get him to write and sign a bill that would demand execution to all werewolves, even the innocent ones." Fleamont revealed. Remus perked up and his heart stopped.

"Those poor dears. None of them choose their fate. That wretched Greyback, always deciding their destinies for them. Now that's a beast that the world needs to be rid of. The rest of those inflicted can hardly be held accountable for their actions. They've either been brainwashed by that monster or have to live in the world, chastised by everyone around them. They didn't ask for that. hundreds of innocent children. If the Minister ever signs that bill, I'd…. I don't know what I'd do, but it would _not_ be pretty." Mia raged. Remus was so taken aback that he had stopped walking. _No_ one had _ever_ held those same belief's as Remus had. _No one_.

"What's wrong?" James asked.

"I… I guess I just thought… I mean you're _purebloods_. Even half-bloods and Muggleborn think that werewolves are disgusting; I assumed you would as well. I suppose I was wrong." Remus corrected himself.

Mia frowned. "You don't believe that, do you?" She asked gently.

"No, well… they are monsters, but they're not disgusting. I have…. A relative with Lycanthropy, a far-off relative, I've only met once, and they seemed, nice. Not disgusting." Remus lied. Mia shook her head sadly and James scowled.

"They aren't monsters but once a month. One night out of twenty-eight days- the wolf comes out to play. That doesn't seem like a monster to me." James told him. Remus felt himself tearing up so he let the conversation drop and started walking again. They finally reached their destination- a portkey.

When they took the portkey, it landed them at a huge mansion. It was absolutely enormous. It also had an orchard, a garden, a greenhouse, a Quidditch pitch, and at least fifty other acres of land. When they walked in the door, they entered a well-decorated foyer. It was a nice size and had stairs at the back, and hallways on either side of the stairs. To ones right of the foyer, they would enter a door to an office and meeting room. The office was where Fleamont did his work. if one turned left, it would lead them to a hallway. At the end of the hallway was a fair-sized dining room. The first room on the right of the hallway was a beautiful living room, decorated in blue.

If you went up the T-shaped stairs, to the right one would find guest room after guest room. If one went up the left side of the stairs, they would be led to two suits. The suit on the left was Mr. and Mrs. Potter's suit, complete with an in-suit bathroom.

The suit on the right was James's, also complete with an in-suit bathroom. It was made up of a total of three rooms connected by a "small" sitting room. "small" as in smaller than anything else in that house. There was also a fair-sized bathroom. When you walked into the sitting room, there were four doors, three on opposite walls. James had always slept in the room with the door on the opposite side of the entrance. In other words, the room at the back. The doors on each wall lead to a room. The room to the right was smaller because on the right wall there was also a door leading to the in-suit bathroom. To make it simple I will call the room to the left Room A, James' room- Room B, and the room on the right Room C.

If you went down the stairs and faced the foyer how one would when they walked in the front door, there were two hallways on opposite sides of the stairs. If one went down the hallway to the left, they would enter the kitchens. If you were to enter the hallway on the right, you would find a hallway turning right halfway through, and a mudroom at the end of the original hallway. If you went through the door at the back of the mudroom, you would be lead out to the Quidditch pitch or the orchard. If you went back through the original hallway and turned in to the adjoining hallway, you would be lead to a pair of French doors. Through the doors, you would find a Ballroom.

The Ballroom itself accounted for half the house. It was a two-story high ceiling and a room that was larger than the great hall at Hogwarts with no doubt. The room could have easily held tables to fit 500 people and still left room for a dance floor.

When James finished giving Remus the house tour, Remus was shocked. He was also out of breath, but that wasn't the point.

"So, do you want to see the greenhouse?" James asked. If he was tired, it was not showing. They had just walked through almost the entire mansion and James wanted to walk through the greenhouses. Remus was utterly overwhelmed. He was sure he was going to get lost.

"Do you have a map of this place?" Remus asked, half joking, half worried he would get lost. James held out a finger as if to say, "one moment" and walked over to a cabinet near the Ballroom door and pulled out a paper.

"Mum's idea. So, do you want to pick a room in my suit?" James asked as he handed the astounded boy a map.

* * *

 _Warning depictions of abuse ahead_ not extremely graphic, don't worry.

* * *

The walk and _Portkey_ to Number Twelve Grimmauld Place were relatively silent. Sirius was scared, to say the least, but he was brave. He would handle it. He knew what was ahead and would take whatever was coming to him. But he was still allowed to be scared, right?

Kreacher had been charged with picking him up from the station. The strange elf was grumbling about 'Blood Traitors' and 'Bad Blood.' Sirius was a pale white color by the time they reached the front door.

He would take this, for Regulus. Sirius knew Regulus would be beaten again and has been before, but if he could save his brother from just one hit, he would do it. He loved his younger brother to a point to which he doesn't even realize or understand. To save Regulus, Sirius Black would give his life.

When they walked through the door, Walburga Black didn't give her son a moment to rest before starting what Sirius could only hope to avoid.

"Sirius Orion Black. You are a disgrace to the Black family. You are a disgrace to your name. You're a filthy, disgusting Blood traitor! My own flesh and blood have betrayed me! Now get up here and take your punishment!" she shrieked.

Sirius warily made his to the tapestry room. He knew that's where she was because that is where she always punished him. At least when he did anything to" tarnish" the family name. He stood up straight and walked in the room. He saw his scowling mother standing in the middle of the room with a broom. Not just any broom, his own riding broom. He walked up to her boldly and stared her in the eyes.

"I'm glad I'm in Gryffindor. I am happy to be a blood traitor. But if you must 'punish' me, I will take it like any Gryffindor would- bravely, not backing down. You won't win this battle mother. I'm in Gryffindor and there is nothing you can do about it." He told her standing in front of hero openly without any hesitation.

She scowled even more. Without saying another word, she slapped him right across the face. He drew his hand up to his lip that was slit, but not before keening over at another of his mothers blows. She smacked him on his side and he momentarily lost balance. Before he could regain balance, she kneed him in the ribs. He fell to the ground and kicked him. In between kicks, Sirius could hear shouting's of "bane of my existence," or "strains of dishonor," and even, "filth of my blood." She finally stopped after she kicked hm in the head and he lost consciousness.

* * *

The next thing he remembered was someone putting a glass to his lips and saying, "Drink, Sirius." And then he passed out again.

When he finally woke up for good he was met with the last thing he wanted to see, Kreacher. Okay, maybe second to last. Kreacher was dressing a wound on Sirius' head. Sirius ached all over. His arm had been draped over his stomach to protect it during the beating and had broken. But when he checked his arm again it felt merely bruised. Sirius finally got Kreacher to get off him and he tried to sit up.

"Woah! Hey, calm down and lay back. I didn't realize you were awake yet. Here drink" Regulus said while handing him a glass of water.

Regulus looked as if he were a smaller duplicate of Sirius when you first looked at him. But if you stared long enough you would realize his eyes were slightly further apart, and also a deeper shade of gray with a tint of blue, while Sirius' eyes were most definitely silver. Regulus also had a slightly (relatively) larger nose. His hair was also kept short.

Sirius' hair was the only freedom he had ever gotten, mostly because he only ever got it cut when he was going to be seen publicly.

Sirius tried to smile when he saw his younger brother but stopped when it hurt too much.

"Reg." Sirius greeted hoarsely. His voice showed how much in need of a drink he was. Sirius tried to sallow and wetten it but his throat was too dry. Regulus then held the cup of water to Sirius' lips as Sirius drank. "Thanks." He again attempted a smile but winced when he found it painful. Sirius fell back down against his pillows. He had the worst headache.

"I know you probably don't feel like talking, but how was school?" Regulus asked, wanting to keep Sirius' mind from drifting, which it often did.

"Amazing," Sirius replied. "I can't wait until you're there with me and I didn't have t worry about you, as much." He finished with a small tired laugh. Regulus sighed.

"You shouldn't have to worry about me at all. You have plenty of other things to think about, all of them more interesting than me, I'm sure. But you should rest some more. I'll come back later." Regulus promised his brother. He had been holding Sirius' hand and he gave it a tight squeeze in advance to make his leave. Before he could, Sirius grab his hand harder, pulled him down, albeit gently, and gave him a small hug. Regulus was caught completely off guard _. Since when did Sirius hug?_ Regulus wondered. When Sirius let go, he didn't ask the questions lingering in his mind, and just left Sirius to his sleep.

* * *

The next couple days, as Sirius was recovering, the two brothers talked for hours in Sirius' room. Each night Regulus would try to leave but Sirius would tell him to stay and sleep in his bed. Regulus found Sirius' new obsession with physical interaction odd, but never corrected it because he knew they both had enough of being told they were wrong. Regulus finally realized one night why Sirius needed a snuggle buddy for bed. Sirius had awful night terrors. He would be thrashing and mumbling, but Sirius had never mentioned them after Regulus woke him up.

Christmas Eve as coming very quickly, only being a day away when the guests arrived at Grimmauld Place. All the most pompous, ignorant, pure-bloods came, insulting his every step. That was Sirius' last straw. Well, Sirius had kept it all together until someone brought up Muggleborn's.

James, Remus, and even Lily sometimes, helped him realize that muggles aren't all bad. It had taken one trip to the muggle studies room for the idea to finally sit. Sirius realized that muggles were the best thing one the earth that was possible.

When the haughty purebloods started spouting off insults of the highest offense, he got up from where he was sitting and left the room. His mother had noticed and starting yelling at him again. She ah put up a silencing charm so she didn't hold anything back. When she was finished Sirius was crying silently and sniffling as he made his way to the Floo. He didn't care about what would happen, he promised James.

It was near Midnight when Sirius came through the _Floo_. Mia and Monty (Mr. Potter had admitted to not wanting to be called Fleamont) were talking at the sitting room table in front of the fireplace when he arrived. He was hyperventilating and mumbling how he needed James

"James said I could come through if it became too much, I need James. I… I... I need…" Mia saw the upset boy and immediately her maternal instincts kicked in. She pulled him into a hug and muttered soothing things.

"It's alright, you're alright." She repeated over and over, he had started to calm down when James had gotten there.

"What's wrong… Sirius? What are you doing here so late? What… what happened?" James asked. When Sirius couldn't answer he pulled his best mate into a hug.

"It was too much. You said if it was too much, and it as too much." Sirius babbled in between breaths.

"It's okay, Sirius. You're alright now.

* * *

A/N Ha Ha! Yes, I'm leaving it like that, it's late (in my time) and I want to get this out before I sleep. I've been awake for 17 hours and it's my story, I have that right. Plus, the rest would be pretty boring. But hey, you will still have one more chapter for the first year- even though I think I say that every time. Anyway, here is your extra-long chapter that should make up for the shortness of the last one. This one took me a while because I have been busy so don't _**expect**_ anything new for at least like... a week and a half. But hey, I might surprise you and me.

Bye

Love Marauderfascination


	5. More Birthdays and More Mischief

A/N Hey! Sorry, it's been a while. I have work, and such, plus I haven't been in the mood to write. On top of that my sister was bothering me and trying to get me to write a chapter for OUR story, so between all of that, getting a kitten(named Remus), and reading the Percy Jackson series, I have had a lot on my plate. Well, more than I'm used to anyhow. I really want to give you some chapters before school starts up again, but I don't foresee me making it past second year this summer. Then during the school year, I probably won't be writing much unless it's a holiday, so.

But! If you keep reviewing and reminding me to write (I would still love to hear your opinions on how long it is taking me to get a chapter out), I will still be motivated to finish this story! Because as of late, I have barely been motivated to do so, but I would feel guilty to abandon ANOTHER story, especially because this one has so much potential. My other story was just because I thought it would be cute (and I absolutely love this one OC I have)

Anyway, without further ado.

* * *

Year One, Part Four (this is the last of Year one guys!((Hopefully)))

The rest of the time spent at the Potter Mansion was spectacular. Christmas had come and gone, but school was drawing near. The trio had spent all the rest of their break planning all different pranks they could do. Sirius and James were the ones going to perform the pranks, while Remus sat on the sidelines.

The two dark haired boys had discovered an advantage they could use by keeping Remus "innocent" of all pranks. Remus was, of course, compared to an angel by all the professors at Hogwarts. The "Star Pupil" one might say. But Sirius and James were discovering quite the opposite of their friend. Remus was a worse swearer then both Sirius and James put together. Not only did he curse, but the Lupin boy most definitely had an attitude. Remus was sarcastic, sassy, and swore day and night. Sirius even overheard Remus sleep swearing. Remus was also the worst of them all when it came to thinking up pranks.

Although, Remus had quite a few things that neither pure-bloods did. For one, Remus had a conscience. Yes, the small boy thought up the greatest pranks, but he also would say not to use them if they would in any way cause harm or damage. Yes, Remus could come up with a thousand smart aleck comments for any rhyme or reason, but he couldn't bear the thought of anyone hearing them.

But for now, the group would keep Remus' "bad" side a secret, and all that would show is the angel whom always turned assignments in on time.

That would most definitely back fire.

As the Hogwarts Express rolled into the station, there was a huge explosion that came from one of the compartments.

"Damn it, James! You fucked the whole thing up!" Remus shouted as he looked at the now steaming game of exploding snaps. Sirius snickered in the background.

"Well, it's not _my_ fault! Sirius distracted me!" James yelled. Meanwhile, Sirius stared directly at the door with a charming smile.

"Oh! Hello, Evans." Sirius greeted.

"Shut up you nutter, I'm not going to fall for that twice in a row!" James shouted at the young Black scion.

"Fall for what again?" Lily Evans asked.

"Nothing," all three children replied. Evans huffed and rolled her eyes.

"Anyway, I am just here to make sure you two march up to Severus and apologize to him." She drawled out, pointing her finger at the two guilty subjects.

"For what?" James asked, genuinely confused. Lily glared at him.

"For making him dance and sing in front of the entire school!" Evans shouted.

"Oh, come on! It wasn't that bad!" Sirius shrugged off.

"Wasn't. That. Bad?" Lily ground out, teeth clenched together, and her fiery red matching her now red cheeks. She drew a shaky breath and got stepped dangerously close to Sirius. "Wasn't that bad! You made my friend dance on top of the Slytherin table while singing some ridiculous wizard song. He then fell _off_ the table and sprained his ankle. Then he danced his way out of the Great Hall, on a sprained ankle, and tripped down a flight of stairs. Because of that, he twisted his right wrist, broke his left arm, and then broke his other leg! He then _continued_ to dance an Irish jig for another two hours! He spent a _week_ in the infirmary and _because_ he hadn't gotten his leg fixed right away, and then danced on it, he has to wear a cast for the next month!" she was shrieking by the end of her speech.

"Now tell me, Potter, Black, is that not so bad?" she enquired, spitting out the names of the two boys.

"Well, I wouldn't want it to happen to me, but…" James was cut off mid-sentence.

"EXACTLY!" she yelled. "Now _why_ does it deserve to happen to Severus?"

"Because, he's a slimy, Slytherin, git who is destined to be evil. He would fit right in with my family… maybe we should introduce them." Sirius replied slyly. Evans looked like she was about to pounced but instead she ran out of the cabin crying. Sirius and James were stunned.

Remus sighed. "I'll go after her…. But you two really need to get in touch with your conscience. How do you _not_ feel guilty? I wasn't really even a part of the prank and _I_ feel guilty." He then left without another word.

"Guilty…guilty… gu-il-ty… Nope! Not really in my vocabulary." Sirius said as if he was searching for something. James rolled his eyes.

"Well, maybe we should apologize. I mean, she's _really_ upset. It could do us good to look like we have morals every so often. Come on, we'll do it tomorrow." James decided.

* * *

The next Twelve hours were dreadful to Sirius. He wasn't sure he knew how to apologize. Well, he knew _how_ he just has never done it because he actually had done something wrong. He still didn't understand the whole "wrong" part of the situation, but James, Remus, and he had a long discussion about how someone getting hurt is not funny, but how it's very bad, no matter who gets hurt. Remus knew this new-found appreciation of humanity wouldn't last long, but it was good enough for now.

James and Sirius headed to the library, where the young red-head and her slimy friend always were and got ready to say they were sorry. When the two boys got there, James stopped them from going in. he was staring at Evans and Snape laughing as they studied. James glared and looked down at his feet. He scrunched his eyebrows in confusion. He felt something and he didn't know what it was.

It was jealousy.

James hadn't ever even needed to feel jealousy. Everything he ever wanted was handed to him on a silver platter, even the things he didn't want. His parents bought his every whim, his every desire. When you always get what you want, what room is there for jealousy?

"You know what Sirius, maybe Snape didn't deserve it. But you know what else, he doesn't need to know it was us. He probably doesn't. Evans has no proof we're the ones who did it, and he has no reason to believe we did. he obviously wasn't hurt in the long run, so why do we need to do anything about making him feel better?" James pointed out. Sirius nodded his head as he thought about this.

"You have a good point, but won't Remus be mad about us not apologizing?" Sirius agreed.

"Why does he have to know?" James suggested.

"Won't Evans sell us out?" Sirius asked. James thought about this for a while.

"Yeah, oh well! Why do we have to worry about it?" James said.

"Again, good point," Sirius replied. They then turned around and headed back to their dorm.

* * *

The next two months went relatively smoothly. Relatively.

Sirius decided he should pull a welcome back prank. He got a bunch of dung bombs and set them off in each of the Gryffindor Girls bathrooms. That backfired. Because the girls couldn't use their own bathrooms, they were allowed to use the boy's bathrooms. Not only did they get to use the boy's bathrooms, but for privacy reasons, the boys were not allowed to be on whatever floor the girls were on while using the facilities. This meant that if one girl needed to use the loo in the middle of the night all the boys on that floor would have to vacate their beds and dorms. Professor McGonagall knew one of the boys had set off the dung bombs in the girl's bathrooms, but she couldn't do anything about it until someone confessed. She thought this arrangement would punish the rogue boy quite nicely.

Finally, one night when the first-year boys had had to vacate their dorm six times throughout the night, Sirius broke. He got a months-worth of detention, yet he still would not tell how he got up the stairs to get to the girl's bathrooms. when asked about it by James and Remus later, Sirius simply said that 'A charmer never admits to his code.'

Neither James nor Sirius would ever understand why Remus almost wet his pants from laughing.

"How could you not know the phrase 'a magician never reveals his secrets?' it's almost the most famous Muggle phrase!" Remus complained.

"Exactly, Muggle." Sirius pointed out.

"You two need to learn more about the Muggle world," Remus told them, shaking his head in exasperation.

* * *

As January and February passed, James birthday drew even nearer. Sirius had found out James' birthday was March 27th over the holiday and was determined to give his best friend an amazing party. Little did either pureblood know, to Remus' relief, that Remus' birthday was on March 10th.

Remus didn't really like celebrating his birthday. It always reminded him of his first full moon transformation. His fifth birthday had only been a week before his first experience as a werewolf. Therefore, every birthday he had had since he was always full of dread. This year was even worse since his birthday was the day before a full moon.

Although there were many arguments about the subject, Remus always thought that the day before the full moon was always the worst. He felt the pull that the wolf had on him harder than almost any other day of the month. That was mostly because he couldn't do much but sleep on the day of the full moon. The day after was always bad, but, again, he mostly slept all day.

Sirius had enlisted the help of his cousin and her boyfriend to throw this party for James. They had decided to surprise him by throwing the party early, 17 days early to be exact. Yes, they had decided to throw James' surprise birthday party on Remus' actual birthday.

When March 10th arrived, Remus got very nervous. He was sure someone was going to pop out of the bushes and yell "Happy Birthday!" and knowing his friends, they probably would.

Remus had gotten up late as he usually ended up doing around the full moon. He walked into the Great Hall on edge. He sat down next to Lily because she was the only one there he knew, probably because Sirius was with Andromeda and James was in detention.

"Good morning Remus! A-are you alright?" Lily asked concernedly, noting at how tired Remus looked.

"I'm fine," he insisted through a yawn. He put a piece of toast and a runny egg on his plate and stared at it. Although it was nearly 9:30 in the morning, the hall was still quite full. Not to mention the tables were full of food and the lights were giving him a headache. His heightened senses were always worse around the full moon. He pushed away his plate and laid his head on the table. What another great start to his birthday.

"Remus, you don't seem 'fine.' Please, let me take you to Madame Pomphrey. Please." Lily pleaded.

Remus shook his head no before nodding off. Lily sighed and tried to wake him up. To no success, Lily tried whatever she could think of. Still, nothing woke him up.

"Sev, can you help me get him help?" she asked the young Slytherin.

"Why would I help _him_?" He asked her.

"You're not helping him. You're helping me. Now _please_ help me carry him. He's quite light, I'm sure with our combined strength, we can do it." She insisted. Severus rolled his eyes but picked up the sleeping boy's feet. They got him as far as the second-floor corridor before Ted and Sirius found him.

"Remus!" Sirius shouted.

"Did he just fall asleep like that?" Ted inquired.

"No, but Lily insisted we carry him to Gryffindor tower," Snape replied.

"Evans! Would you bring a snake into our sacred walls? How dare you!" Sirius accused. Ted looked at the poor sleeping boy.

"We'll take care of it. Thank you, Lily, uh, Severus, is it? Well, I'm sure we can handle him. Come on, Siri." Ted said as he slung the scarred boy over his shoulder.

"Remus! Merlin, he'll miss the party if he doesn't get up soon!" Sirius exclaimed. Andromeda rolled her eyes.

"He _is_ here, isn't he? It'll be fine, he'll wake up eventually. Hurry up because James will be here sooner than later." Andromeda reprimanded.

"Yes, _mum"_ Sirius grumbled. Ted chuckled until Andromeda slapped him on the shoulder.

Soon enough James came bounding through the doors of the Room of Requirement.

"Surprise!" they all shouted, well, all but Remus.

James jumped back at the noise.

"What's the surprise?" He asked. Sirius facepalmed and Andy smiled.

"Surprise Birthday party of course." She told him.

"For who?" James asked bewildered.

"You! You gormless muppet!" Sirius shouted.

(A/N me here! Anyway, this is a British insult I looked up. I found this wonderful page of 50 hilarious British insults that I found very charming. I mean no insult to anyone who lives in Great Britain but these are so amazing. I'm sorry it's just you guys have the best way of saying things and I am totally using "like a dog with two dicks" later in my story. OMG these are funny)

"What! My Birthday isn't for, like, two weeks. Why are you having a party?" James asked.

"To surprise you, you dimwit!"

"Oh," James took that in for a moment, "Well, good job!" he said smiling.

Andy rolled her eyes and went over to the cake.

"Sirius, can you come here for a moment?" She asked. Sirius raised an eyebrow and headed over to his cousin's side. "Why does the cake say, 'Happy Birthday Remus'?"

"I don't know. Mrs. Lupin made it" Sirius stated.

"Siri, do you happen to know when Remus' Birthday is?"

"…..No." Sirius drawled. Andromeda took a deep breath and walked over to the sleeping child.

"Happy Birthday Remus." She said as she shook the boy awake.

"No, Mummy, I hate my Birthday. Let me sleep." Remus mumbled sleepily. He then sat up slowly with his eyes scrunched up. He opened one and peeked out. He cringed when he saw that, yes, he had not only called Andromeda Mummy but that he also revealed that it was his birthday. He also revealed that he hated it. "Is there a chance none of your heard any of that?" everyone shook their heads, "Yup, that's what I thought."

"WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL US IT WAS YOUR BIRTHDAY?" Sirius shouted.

"Because I wish it wasn't," he said as if he was regretting waking up. Sirius and James glared at him. That obviously wasn't a good enough answer.

Remus told them how he just didn't like the attention of having a Birthday. This didn't settle as well as Remus had hoped, but the group let it go and celebrated James _and_ Remus' birthdays. James got almost the entire Zonko's store, plus a large amount of chocolate and candy. Remus was given all of James' chocolate in apology of not knowing his birthday. Remus didn't quite understand why that was a good enough reason for chocolate, but he would _never_ turn down chocolate.

* * *

The rest of the year was rather unimportant. Sirius and James played approximately 34 pranks and got 100 hours of detention in all. Remus had spent the entire month before the end of the year studying for end of the year finals with Lily. Remus, of course, ended up with Out-standings in everything, even potions. James got Out-standing in Transfiguration and Exceeds Expectations in everything else, and Sirius got Exceeds Expectations in everything.

After one particularly nasty prank on Evans and Snape James got one of Lily's legendary scoldings in the middle of the Great Hall.

"You- you are such- MARAUDERS!" she yelled. James looked over at Sirius and then at Remus.

"You're right, we are," James admitted with a sly smile. He got up on to Gryffindor table and cupped his hands around his mouth. "Listen up! Please, Pay attention. I, James Potter, declare the name of the group of your residential scoundrels, The Marauders. This group consists of James Fleamont Potter, Sirius Orion Black, and Remus John Lupin." He held out his hands to bring up the other two boys. "We are now The Marauders, dubbed thusly by Lily Evans, and we are now committed to bringing Mischief to all!" James raised the hands of the boys beside him and did a theatre bow. James and Sirius went up and down, arms swinging beside them, while Remus looked around kind of nervously.

"Mister Potter! Why I never! You three ' _Marauders_ ' will get off that table immediately!" Professor McGonagall commanded.

James and Sirius smirked as they got off the table. Remus cowed instantly and shoved his elbow into James. James then cowed and did the same to Sirius. Sirius did _not_ get the hint and smiled even brighter.

McGonagall pursed her lips and huffed. "Now, if it were _not_ your last day at Hogwarts for the year, I would give each of you a week's detention. But, since it is the last day for this school year, I will give you an extra inch of your Transfiguration essay and detention on your second night back next year. 7 o'clock and I will expect you to be there." She looked closely at each boy. "Now off you go." She dismissed.

* * *

The train ride home was simply full of promises to write, come quickly if anything got bad at home, and plan to visit at least one night this summer, if not a week.

Remus was glad they were going home. It's not that he didn't enjoy his friends, it's that he hates lying to them. He knows that no matter their views on werewolves, his friends will all hate him for lying to them.

Sirius was dreading going home. He knows he'll get punished for running to James' and he knows it will be bad. Not as bad as getting put into Gryffindor, but still pretty bad. But maybe the next year won't be so bad. Maybe he won't be alone. He'll have Regulus. And maybe, just maybe, it will be better.

James was sad to be going home. He loved the majestic Hogwarts castle and all the wonder it possessed. He loved being with his friends and knew he would be lonely at home. Only if his parents could have given him brother. Yes, yes, it's a miracle that _he_ was even born, imagine another one. But still, James wished he had a brother almost every day of his life. It was one of his hearts deepest desires. That would either strengthen him or destroy him.

* * *

A/N IT'S FINISHED! YEAR ONE IS COMPLETE! I'm really, really sorry it took so long but I had a small bout of writer's block. But hey, I'm done with the hardest year there is. Mostly because once I hit another hard year, like 4th year, I'll just put random pre-Wolfstar or pre-Jily. It's just this year at Hogwarts leads up to everything else. Thank you so much if you have made it this far, or if you have been with me since the beginning. Also, you can correct my grammar, I know I need to go through my last chapter and change some stuff. I know I'm quite bad with grammar, but I have seen writers with worse grammar, not that this is a place to judge. Why I ask you this is because I am trying to learn. Anyway, until next time.


	6. No Longer Noble(UPDATED)

"Sirius!" a younger looking Sirius called. "Sirius! You know mother and father will be furious to find out you hid my trunk, just tell me where you hid it!"

"Sorry, Reg you'll just have to do without it. Or… Maybe if you talk to me I'll make an exception." Sirius told his younger brother. Regulus scowled. It was never this easy. Sirius had been quiet since their long talks last Christmas. Regulus had been going through many sessions with his parents on how to act at Hogwarts. the same ones Sirius went through before his first year. Sirius had been trying to talk with his younger brother all summer, but they never found the time between all the pureblood events and such.

"I don't believe you, and you know I'm not afraid to tell mother. I also know you wouldn't risk it" Regulus mentioned, truthfully, he was afraid. He hated that his mother beat Sirius. He would never tell his mother something bad about Sirius, and he hasn't since he was five and realized what Sirius got when he told on him. Sirius called his bluff.

"Try me," Sirius said staring down at his brother. Regulus bowed his head in defeat and let Sirius pull him into Sirius's room. He looked at all the Gryffindor paraphernalia.

"How did you smuggle this into the house?" He asked.

Sirius shrugged. "James and Remus sent it to me." Regulus looked around some more.

"Cool." He mentioned without much enthusiasm. "What do you want?"

"To talk, we never do that anymore," Sirius told him. Regulus raised an elegant eyebrow.

"I am not entirely sure we ever talked. last Christmas was the first time in ever, and it seemed to be a one time occurrence. Anyhow, I need my luggage. Mother will be furious when she finds out I haven't packed yet." Regulus reminded his brother.

Sirius sighed. he didn't know how to approach the subject. He figured he should just come out with it. "Do you agree with our mother?"

"On what. She has many opinions, you'll have to narrow it down." Regulus countered with a smirk.

"Everything. On her views of blood purity. On what she thinks children deserve when they step out of line. On what she thinks is disgusting and vile. Do you agree with most of what she has said since we were able to understand her?" Sirius asked.

Regulus considered this a moment. He hated how his mother treated them, he had known for a while that perhaps it wasn't right. 'Cissy never got beaten when she broke a vase. Yelled at, but not beaten. His cousins only ever got slapped if they did something wrong like the one-time Bellatrix snuck out of the house and didn't tell them why. So, he didn't agree with his mother on that subject.

He had also been researching vampires, werewolves, and other magical creature hybrids. Although he _did_ believe that werewolves were dangerous on full moons, he found no reason to hate them the rest of the time. One thing that he could never find an unbiased book on in the Black's library, was the subject of blood purity. He knew that muggles had to be insignificant because they had no magic. However, Muggleborn's _did_ have magic, so they couldn't be _insignificant_. The only disadvantage Muggleborn's had against purebloods was the fact that they weren't raised _with_ magic. Then again, half-bloods didn't have that problem, so why was he better than a half-blood? Blood definitely had nothing to do with any of the bigotry. Even after considering all of this, Regulus did not know how to answer his brother's question.

"I don't know," Regulus said, at last, not letting on to his recent self-searching. He wanted to see where Sirius was leading with this.

"How could you NOT know? Do you agree with her or not? Do you agree with the ways our parents have raised us, what they have taught us?" Sirius asked again, getting a little impatient.

"Why does it matter?" Regulus wanted to know why his brother was so insistent on knowing what Regulus thought of their parent's beliefs.

"You fucking Slytherin! It matters because I want to know whether or not you will leave me in the dust after you get sorted." Sirius took a moment to take a calming breath, "If you agree with our parents, of course, you're going to do everything to make them happy, while I get the run of it. I just need to know if you'll be on my side or not." Sirius finished.

Regulus thought for a few more moments. "I'll think about it. I'll tell you tomorrow after we get on the train. Now can I have my trunk?" and with that Sirius gave him a smile. Sirius walked over to his bedside and knelt on the ground and pried up two loose floorboards. he reached down and pulled out a trunk.

"So that's where you keep all your secrets. nice to know" Regulus jibed. Sirius stuck out his tongue as Regulus turned around to leave.

* * *

The next day started well for Sirius. His parents were so excited (as excited Walburga and Orion Black can get) about Regulus going to Hogwarts they forgot entirely about Sirius. They only remembered him finally when Andy came by to pick them up for Kings Cross station. Walburga and Orion couldn't be bothered to go out into Muggle London, so both this year and the last Andy had been asked (told) to drop the boys off at the station. Since Andy had not said anything to her Aunt and Uncle about dating a Muggleborn yet, she happily walked up to Number 12 Grimmauld Place. Andy and Narcissa were welcomed in by Kreacher. because Andy was accompanying both of the boys she took (dragged) Narcissa along with her

"Alright boys, try not to bring too much shame to the family this year." Mr. Black reminded them. They said their farewells and the four Black cousins were off into muggle London.

"Narcissa, help Regulus with his owl," Andy commanded her younger sister.

Narcissa squinted her eyes at the older one and grabbed the owl from the young boy. She turned to Regulus. "Your mother and father have asked that you sit with me and Lucius on the train. If you sit quietly and don't disrupt anything we might let you stay."

Sirius held his tongue, knowing that anything said to Narcissa would be told directly to his parents the minute she had her hands on some parchment.

"Thank you, Cissy," Regulus said as charmingly as the eleven-year-old could.

"Do you not listen to your parents." She huffed, "If you are to make it a _day_ in Slytherin you will _have_ to cut back on the thank you's. the only time you ever say thank you is if you actually don't mean it and are hoping to get something from it. You idiot." She reprimanded as she rolled her eyes.

Andy started chuckling. "That's a load of bull. So, you actually listen to Mum and Dad?"

"And if you had actually been paying attention, as Slytherins should, I was doing all of those things. Do you actually believe I'm grateful for you to hold my owl upside down?" Regulus smirked. Narcissa huffed again and walked ahead of them.

They finally made it to Kings Cross station, and platform 9 and ¾. Narcissa found her beloved boyfriend and dragged her youngest cousin toward the train. Sirius looked around for his friends and finally found Remus.

"Remus!" Sirius yelled. Remus turned around when he heard his name and smiled when he saw Sirius. He kissed his mother, or at least what Sirius figured had to be his mother, on the cheek and ran over to Sirius.

"Hey! I haven't heard from you in like two weeks. What happened?" Remus asked. Although he would never admit it, he gets scared every time someone doesn't reply to a letter right away because he is always scared someone will find out who he is and ignore him. He thought it would be normal since the Blacks hated werewolves almost more than they hated muggles. One of the Black ancestors were the reason Remus' life was as difficult as it is.

"Sorry, my parents confiscated my owl after I fought with them about…. I don't know, something. What's happened?" Sirius asked the small boy.

' _oh, you know, normal werewolf things. Reshaping bones, terrorizing villages. All that fun stuff.'_ "Not a lot," Remus answered.

"Have you seen James yet?" Sirius inquired.

"Nope, he said he might run late. I, can't seem to remember why, though." Remus replied. They then headed to the compartment that would later become their signature compartment.

Meanwhile, Regulus was being forced to watch Narcissa make out with her boyfriend. Suddenly the compartment door swung open.

"Narcissa, Lucius, stop snogging and come to the prefect's compartment, we have a meeting to commence." Some Slytherin prefect called to them.

Before they left, Narcissa grabbed the front of Regulus' robes. "If you move an inch before we get back, I will personally make sure you are beaten within an inch of your life." She whispered in his ear.

He nodded absentmindedly. After they were gone he got out a book and started reading. It was " _Hogwarts: A History._ " At that moment the door of the compartment opened.

"Cissy, I swear I won't touch your things," Regulus said without lifting his eyes off his book.

"You're not Black, why do you have his face?" a pre-pubescent baritone voice said silkily. Regulus finally looked up. He saw a boy around his brother's age wearing a Slytherin tie. He had chin length black hair and black irises'. He had a sneer on his face but Regulus could tell it was forced. A redhead followed closely behind him.

"So clearly you met my brother, luckily, I'm nothing like him. Regulus Black, and you are?" Regulus inquired. The boy quirked an eyebrow. The redhead followed suit, but brought herself forward and held out her hand.

"Hello, I'm Lily Evans. So, you're Blacks brother. Hm… that's odd, you're not as…. bold as he is." She declared. Regulus chuckled.

"I can only imagine what he said when he met the both of you," Regulus said more to himself than the others.

"Yes, we have met Black, although perhaps I should call him Black number 1. What makes you so different from your annoying, prat of a brother?" the Boy asked.

"My Brother doesn't seem to know boundaries, nor does he understand any concepts of morality. I'm sure you have more than one reason to hold such malice towards him, but I will ask you not to assume such things of me. Siblings are never alike." Regulus explained to him. "But may I inquire who you might be?"

The boy was stunned by how eloquently _Black's_ brother spoke, so he stood stunned for a moment. He blinked himself back into reality. "Severus, Snape. Sorry for assuming, but you do look so much like him it's hard to believe you aren't a younger, slightly smaller, clone. I do regret offending you, I just wanted to get the upper hand." Snape

"As any smart Slytherin would. It's hard to get anywhere in that house without being one of the sacred twenty-eight. I apologize for the insinuation, but I don't recognize the name "Snape." I hope that the rough start we had won't disturb any other encounters we have. Would you like to sit down, or do you have other arrangements?" Regulus said articulately. Regulus had learned very early in childhood that when talking to a Slytherin, to use your words wisely and slap on your pureblood face. Snape looked so confused but quickly put his Slytherin sneer back on his face. Lily giggled and then frowned when she saw how Severus acted towards the young boy. She rolled her eyes.

"Yes, of course. Sadly, I already have a compartment with my friend. It was a pleasure meeting you, Regulus." Severus concluded.

"Yes, very nice to meet you. I do hope we can be friends. Maybe you can give us insights on how your brother can act like such an idiot." Lily mediated.

"The pleasure was all mine. Yes, that would be nice." Regulus said with a true smile. Snape went to turn around, he did not know what to make of a _kind_ Black. As Severus and Lily made their way to leave, Sirius showed up, and prancing behind him was James.

"Snivellus! How nice it is to see you again. I didn't realize they let vampires into Hogwarts. Although, they let Evans attend, so I assume they let all sorts of creatures in." Sirius sniped. James elbowed him in the guts.

"She's right there, mate, you can't just insult her!" James shouted. His eyes were wide. He did not want to anger his future girlfriend. Again.

"Thanks, Potter, for defending our honor. It's so very chivalrous of you." Snape remarked sarcastically.

"I'm not defending you, Snape, you deserved it. Evans is just an innocent bystander. I'm sorry, Evans, he didn't mean it." James clarified.

"That's so very nice of you, Potter. However, I don't need _you_ to defend me. Let's go, Sev before their brains explode from trying to think up a comeback." Evans told him, and the pair sauntered off.

"What a pair of loons," Sirius muttered.

"The loon is you, Siri. What the hell was that?" Regulus exclaimed from the door of his compartment. He had been watching the entire encounter and now realized what his new friends must have gone through last year.

"Reg, just the boy we were looking for. James, Remus," Remus had been hiding behind the entire group during the whole encounter, and just now made himself known. "This is my brother Regulus, Reg, this is James and Remus." Sirius introduced.

"Nice to meet you. I state again, Siri, what the hell was that?" Regulus repeated. Sirius looked at his feet for a moment and then sighed.

"Look I'll tell you about it later. Right now, I want to know your answer. Do you agree with them or not?" Sirius queried. Regulus stared at him and went back into his compartment. He motioned for the group to follow him. What did he want to say? To say no would mean he was to take the side of his brother and most likely become an outcast if his parents found out. To say yes meant he would lose his brother. It would mean that he would lose his best (and only up until a few moments ago), friend. However, if he lost his parents trust, that would mean hell for not only just Sirius but for his as well. Both heirs to the Black family fortune would be outcasts. Even though that would only happen if his parents found out he agreed with Sirius. Regulus really wanted to know why Sirius was so insistent on knowing Sirius' intentions.

"What would it mean if I did or didn't," Regulus asked. Sirius rolled his eyes.

"I'm not even sure if it will work at this point. You're such a Slytherin!" Sirius shouted. Then he sighed. "It matters because if you don't agree with Mother or Father, I want you from out of their reach. Out of the reach of Slytherin. I want you to ask the hat to put you in any other house besides Slytherin. But if you do agree with our parents, then perhaps it won't matter. I guess I just want an ally at home, you know?" Sirius explained. Regulus smiled and raised his left brow.

" _That's_ why you want to know?" He sighed. "Wow, this is actually bigger than I originally thought. if you had told me this last night it would have been easier to tell you my answer now." Regulus thought some more. James and Remus watched curiously at the two brothers.

' _It must be so hard for them, actually having to decide between each other and their parents'_ James thought to himself.

"Ok, I've decided."

* * *

The boat ride up to the castle was just as magical as Regulus had ever imagined. The castle was always s beautiful at night, he would never forget his first sight of the castle, just like most students. The gray castle shimmered in the sunlight, and the grounds had shadows over them. Regulus felt a chill wash over him as he realized that he would be spending the majority of the next seven years at this castle, his new home. He sat on a boat with two boys he identified as other purebloods he had seen at certain events at his cousin's house and a girl whom he did not recognize. The girl had long, curly, chocolate brown hair, and as Regulus looked at her face he saw her eyes were a nice minty green color. Her face was thin, and she had scattered freckles everywhere. She gave him a kind, shy smile and looked back down at her lap. He returned the smile, but he didn't think she saw it because she looked down so quickly.

"Muggleborn?" he deduced, announcing it suddenly. She looked back up at him with wide eyes.

"How did you know?" she asked him in almost a whisper, after a moment of contemplation. The boy next to Regulus spoke up.

"It's not like you hide it well. Your robes are put on incorrectly, your hair is a disheveled mess, and really, you don't even _try_ to act like you know what you're doing. I saw you trying to figure out how the boats row by themselves. In the future, just follow and copy someone else who truly _belongs_ here." The recommended. The girl looked back down at her hands and seemed as if she was trying not to cry. Regulus felt a mixture of emotions at this moment. He thought about what he wanted to do in the near future and acted accordingly.

"You could at least have the decency of giving her _good_ advice. If she follows someone who only _looks_ like they know what they're doing, then she might end up following _you._ We all know what a mistake _that_ would be." Regulus pointed out.

"Watch it, Black. You don't want to end up like your brother by defending these Mudbloods." The boy spat.

The girl squinted him. "I may not know what that word means, but I know enough about you to realize it's not nice. Apparently, you don't know enough words to actually distinguish how to use them. Might I offer you some help, or is that not the place of a 'Mudblood?' Obviously, you think yourself better. But how is it that I could be a _mud_ blood. Do I somehow have dirty blood?" she asked. Regulus spoke up so that the other two didn't have a chance.

"Many wizards and witched believe Muggleborn's have dirty blood because they have a muggle heritage instead of a magical heritage. And although it hasn't been closely traced, it is believed by some that Muggleborn's are just long-lost relatives to squibs." Regulus quipped. The boy sitting next to the girl squinted at Regulus.

"What are you, a Ravenclaw? For a moment you looked like a Gryffindor, but that can't be too surprising seeing as how your brother's a blood traitor." The boy sneered. The boats were finally pulling up to the shore. As they all got out, the girl stayed closer to Regulus, as she saw how he defended her. She thought she might be able to make her first friend.

"I'm Neveah, by the way, Neveah Collins. Who are you?" She asked Regulus.

"Regulus Black. and I am also probably the last person you want to associate yourself with. My parents and extended family are all like those two twats. It was nice meeting you, though." He explained, also making his way to the front of the crowd.

They made it to the entrance hall, where Prof. McGonagall gave her "First Years" speech. After they waited an unreasonably long amount of time, they finally went into the Great Hall. The ceiling showed a bright sky that mirrored the one outside. Finally, it was time for the sorting. The first person was a girl by the name of Grace Ashford. Next was a boy whose name was Michael Atkins. So, on went the first few listed.

"Baggins… Baggott…. Black, Regulus." Prof. McGonagall announced. Regulus swallowed and made his way up to the stool. Prof. McGonagall smiled a tight-lipped smile at the boy that almost looked forced. Since she _was_ the head of Gryffindor, Regulus had a small feeling she knew his brother _very_ well. He sat down on the stool and looked out into the sea of students. He saw his brother and smiled. He knew what had to happen, not only to help his brother but to help himself. The hat was finally rested on top of the young Black's head.

"Hm… another Black. I sure hope for Prof. Dumbledore's sake this is the last one. Interesting, very interesting. You weren't _forced_ to act as a Slytherin as your brother was, that is certain. Very sly, very calculating. You would do very well in…" The Hat began to say as he was cut off.

"Not Slytherin! Not there, anywhere but Slytherin." Regulus insisted. If the Hat had eyebrows, they were quirked.

"Not very ambitious, are we? Alright, you would also do well in Ravenclaw, but for the sake of your brother's well-being we better put you into- GRYFFINDOR!" The Hat yelled. The entire Slytherin table broke into whispers. Regulus looked over at Sirius who had a huge grin and stood up and started cheering. The rest of the table followed suit. Regulus had felt a little worried at first but then felt excited. He looked over at Prof. McGonagall as she had a very worried look on her face, but she recovered quickly with a smile she offered the boy. He jumped off the stool and almost ran over to the Gryffindor table.

Regulus plopped himself on the right side of Sirius. "Welcome to the house, mate. You're a blood traitor now."

* * *

 **A/N Sorry this took so long, school this last semester took me a while and I never had time to write. this next semester I will have a ton more time so you can expect another chapter out before the summer, hopefully, another year or two, truth be told. anyway, thank you sooooooo much for reading my chapter and this entire note because I know for a fact I rarely read these. also, don't worry about my OC, she won't be a big part of the story, nor will she even really come into play until, fourth or fifth year. I never like it when OC's take up the main part of the story so you don't have to worry. (insert smiley face here)**


	7. Like Brother Like Brother

Year two Part two

Like Brother, Like Brother

The first night in Gryffindor Tower went as well as could be expected. The Marauders gave Regulus a tour of the house, telling him about all the different pranks they played on their own peers. Remus made quips about how they shouldn't be tainting Regulus already.

"C'mon Remus! He's a Black! A mini-me! He's been tainted since birth!" Sirius exclaimed. He was overly ecstatic that his brother chose to join him in Gryffindor. Regulus cringed.

"I refuse to be cursed with that moniker. The day I am a mini Sirius, please, I beg of you, kill me." Regulus said as serious as he could while looking deep into Remus' eyes.

"You're even overdramatic. You're going to have to try harder to get out from under his shadow because Sirius has made quite the name for himself." Remus teased as he held eye contact with Regulus. Reg sighed and fell into a couch in front of the fireplace. They all started laughing. It was a Friday night, so they spent the evening laughing and running between the common room, the first year's dorm, and the second year's boy's dorm. Sirius "helped" Regulus settle in, but in truth, he just threw all of Reg's clothes on the floor. After Regulus finally had all of his things unpacked and put away, the two Black brothers bid each other goodnight and went to bed.

* * *

The next morning James found himself awake at 5:30, just as he did every morning. The only problem he had with this, is few other people were awake at five in the morning, so he was all alone. James did not sleep like any normal child. He dozed, kind of like a cat, but was asleep during the night, instead of the day. He would sleep on and off throughout the night and could function on five hours of sleep at the most. So, when he and his friends all went to bed at ten the night before, he would wake up off and on throughout the night, finishing whatever homework he had left, and then was wide awake at around five in the morning.

No one quite understood how James was one of the top students in almost all the classes he took, yet he was never seen with a textbook in his hands. Nor did anyone ever see him paying attention in class. It was all very confusing for the people around him. Except for Sirius and Remus who had gotten used to it and stopped questioning what James does, or doesn't, do.

Although James didn't like how he was always the first one awake, he did like the time he had alone in the morning. Especially this year, because Quidditch tryouts were to start on there the second week at Hogwarts. James was determined to do everything I his power to be on the team.

On this particular morning of September, the second, James went down to the Quidditch pitch to practice, so he could spend the rest of his Saturday with his best mates. James would make a habit of waking up, going for a run, and practicing quidditch every morning of his Hogwarts career henceforth.

One thing he didn't know was that he had a stalker. Well, she wouldn't call herself a stalker, in fact, she would call it "know thine enemy." Lily Evans would never admit to following James around every morning, but Severus often found it very disturbing. Because James is as oblivious as he is, never noticed.

It wasn't until about 8:30 in the morning until Remus and Sirius finally made it out of bed and into the Great Hall for breakfast. Regulus was the first to greet them. Reg thought he slept for the perfect amount of time, always waking up at 7 in the morning, getting ready and eating breakfast by 8. Rems would sleep until noon if you let him, but he always hated how much of the day he wasted that way. Sirius couldn't really sleep past nine, but he enjoyed just lying in bed and bathing in that sleepy feeling you have when you first wake up.

Sirius sat down on the left side of the Gryffindor table, facing away from the rest of the hall, as he normally does, while Regulus decided to sit across from his brother and next to Remus. Just then did Sirius notice that James was not present in their group.

"Where's James?" Sirius asked.

Remus shrugged, "Probably off somewhere bugging Lily." Sirius seemed to think this a reasonable answer, but Regulus did not.

"Why does James bug Lily so much? And why do you hate Severus?" Reg questioned.

"James has a _huge_ crush on Evans. He thinks they're going to get married someday. We hate Snivellus because he's a snake and because he started it." Sirius explained.

Remus rolled his eyes, "No," he drawled, "James hates Snape because he's jealous of his friendship with Lily. Originally, I don't think James had the intention of getting on Snape's bad side. Sirius, you hate Snape because James does and because when you first met he implied that you should be killed for calling Lily a Mudblood." Regulus shook his head to try and understand this new information.

"First, you called Lily a Mudblood? Oh, ye who is so high and righteous!" Regulus mocked, "Second, what was the context of the conversation?"

"Yes, he blurted it out within the first ten minutes of being a Gryffindor. Not in a bad sense though, just as if he was curious and didn't know another word besides Mudblood. Then, I believe, Snape was mad at him for calling Lily the 'M' word, then James said something about 'he even apologized,' and then Snape made a point about if a rabid dog apologizes should _it_ not be put down. Then I told him something like he was the rabid dog, not Sirius. That is the history of why we have quarrels with the boy." Remus concluded. "But I _did_ apologize for the incident and did not cause any further squabble, they kept it going. Not that I'm innocent in the cause."

"You do know I can speak for myself, right?" Sirius told him.

"Yes, but when you talk, it never comes out right nor the way you want it too." Remus enlightened.

Regulus chuckled. He knew just how true that was. James eventually came in following a thoroughly irritated Lily.

"Evans! We both know you'll have to succumb to my charm one day. Why put up the fight?" James yelled across the Great Hall. Some of the noise went away as people started looking for what was happening.

"Potter, the day I 'succumb' to your 'charm' is the day I ask to be admitted to St. Mungos. I swear that I will never like you!" Lily yelled back, cheeks almost as red as her hair as she realized that the room started to stare at the two second years.

James just smirked and sat down at the table, eyes still following the redhead as she went over to the Slytherin table to pull her greasy-haired friend to the library.

"She loves me. I know it!" James announced dreamily. Sirius looked at him with concern written all over his face.

"James, you do realize what love is, right?" Sirius asked carefully. Regulus also stared at James with alarm.

"Is he delusional?" Regulus asked Remus.

"Only when it comes to Lily." He answered. Regulus tilted his head.

"I noticed that you're the only one who calls her Lily, why?" the younger boy wondered aloud.

"Only people she can tolerate are allowed to call her Lily, I guess she can tolerate me." Remus explicated.

* * *

The rest of the weekend was filled with James and Sirius telling Regulus of last years escapades. The first two weeks went by relatively smoothly. James did spend the entire day before tryouts bothering Sirius and trying to get him to practice throwing the quaffle back and forth. Remus was just glad James and Sirius were busying themselves, so Remus could get a head start on school work.

James, of course, was the Quidditch captains first pick when tryouts commenced. James was in the air barely five minutes before the captain picked him. Gideon Prewett, one of the beaters along with his brother Fabian, decided to initiate James into the team by challenging him to a duel. James was never one to turn down a fight, so he accepted enthusiastically. The duel ended with Professor McGonagall interrupting and giving Gideon detention because "He should have known better than to challenge someone who wasn't on his level." James, of course, took that as a great offense. How could he not be on the seventh years level? Certain, James did not know all the material Gideon did, but surely, he was on his 'Level.' This only led to James getting two hexes and ending up in the Hospital wing for the rest of the day.

Time passed, and the 23rd of September drew nearer. James nor Sirius nor Regulus knew exactly why Remus started looking so sickly again. Regulus also didn't know that it was a regular occurrence.

"Remus, are you alright?" Regulus queried for the fifth time that day. Remus was starting to get scared. James and Sirius were so thick headed they never were able to tie together all of Remus' symptoms, nor did they notice him half the time Remus was sick. However, Regulus within the first day of Remus' ailment, noticed something was wrong.

"I'm fine! I said I was fine. I am always fine!" Remus bit and stomped away.

"Oh, little brother, you're going to just have to learn what Remus does and not ask why. Sometimes he gets sick, goes home and then comes back seemingly injured, happens almost recurrently now that I'm thinking about it. We just learn not to question it, because when we do, we have a mad Remus on our hands. That is one thing you never want, a mad Remus Lupin." Sirius informed Regulus. Reg thought for a moment.

"Wait, you said this happens often? How often?" he asked. Sirius thought for a moment.

"Well, there was my birthday," Sirius began.

"And his birthday," James interrupted.

"Yeah, and you might count New Year's."

"There was also that time near the beginning of the year,"

"And that time near the end." Sirius continued.

"So at least five times, that we remember," James concluded.

Regulus stared at them astonished, "How can you not notice your supposed 'best mate' just disappearing and coming back injured?"

"Well in our defense," Sirius had to think for a moment to find an excuse, "we had a lot of detention in the second half of the year." Regulus rolled his eyes.

"Well, if it happens a lot this year, then we should keep track. Remus may not want us to know if there is a problem, but if he's getting hurt I think we have a sort of right to find out and protect him. Or at least find someone who can help him." He explained.

"Yeah, your right! We do have a right as his friends to protect him!" Sirius agreed. James sat there looking thoughtful.

"Doesn't he have a right to his own privacy?" James inquired.

Sirius smirked, "If he had wanted privacy, then he shouldn't have befriended us."

* * *

 **A/N Hey, I know you guys wanted chapters, so I decided to make them shorter. Now I can get them out quicker. I'll definitely be able to get out one a month, hopefully, two, depending on my schedule. My workload should lighten up now, hopefully. Anyway, thanks for reading!**

 **~Marauderfascination**


	8. Lies, Lost, and Relaizations

Lies, Lost, and Realizations

Remus came back to the Gryffindor dorm late on the 24th, exhausted and hopeful that he can come in with out anyone noticing the state he is in. as he entered the common room, it was nearly empty. Nearly. Unluckily for Remus, Regulus had been waiting for him.

"Where were you?" Regulus exclaimed shockingly. He had been expecting Remus to pop up at some point in the day, but there he was, 9:30 at night, barely walking through the door.

Remus jumped in surprise. "What the fuck?" Regulus looked at him disapprovingly. "Fuck off, I'm tired and just need sleep, not a bloody interrogation." Remus bit. He felt bad for being rude to the newcomer, but he was not in the mood to explain anything, nor think up another lie.

Regulus held his hands up in surrender. "Sorry, I just was concerned."

Remus sighed. "I understand. I'm going to bed."

"So, what? I don't get an answer?"

"You're not my mother, so, no. You don't"

Regulus huffed." Look, I'm just trying to be a good friend. Honestly."

Remus rolled his eyes and finished walking to the stairs. As he was starting to go up the stair, he stopped, turned around and went back down.

"Why aren't you in your dorm?" Remus asked.

"We have Astronomy tonight," Reg answered.

Remus raised his eyebrows in understanding and went back upstairs to finally get ore rest.

* * *

"All right class, take a seat and I would like to have all eyes on me. Thank you. Tonight, we have a beautiful sky and something I love very much. Does anyone know what last night was?"

The Girl Regulus had met at the beginning of the year raised her hand. "Yes, miss?"

"A full moon."

"Precisely, what makes full moon so special in the magical world?"

"certain potion ingredients only come out during the full moon" one student called out.

"Yeah, and werewolves!" one kid joked.

"Werewolves," Regulus mumbled under his breath, but a Slytherin he was sitting close to caught it.

"What? Is the great "Gryffindor Lion" afraid of a wolf?" the boy asked mockingly.

"What? What are you talking about?" Regulus asked, not understanding the mock.

"I bet mother dearest probably told you horror stories as a child, she probably threatens to let her traitor son be bitten by one!" Another Slytherin, who Regulus recognized from pureblood parties, joked.

"which one?" The Slytherin's friend added. The three Slytherins laughed. Regulus just rolled his eyes and ignored them.

"Fuck you!" Regulus had decided to use his new word and tell them off. The teacher, who hadn't been paying any attention, was now wide-eyed and alert.

"Mr. Black, detention and five points from Gryffindor." She announced. She had remembered Sirius from last year and knew if she didn't play rough, she would never have a handle on the second Black. Their cousins were always so proper and prim, what had happened to these boys?

Regulus huffed. He decidedly ignored the trio and listen to the teacher.

* * *

The next day went smoothly, Regulus went to his detention, Sirius had purposefully gotten detention to make sure his brother wasn't lonely, and then James got detention because he didn't want to be with out Sirius.

"You bloody fucking wankers. It's like you're a bunch of uphill gardeners!" Remus exclaimed.

"Fuck you" Sirius yelled back.

"That's exactly what you want to do isn't it?" Remus joked with a smirk. (BTW's uphill garner is a British insult for a homosexual according to a website. Continue)

Remus got a pillow thrown at his head.

* * *

The next week went by quickly. James was hardly there because he had started practice for Quidditch. Regulus and Remus had decided their time was better spent in a library and Sirius was bored out of his mind.

"Remmy!" Sirius whined. "Come out and play! It's a beautiful day, oh Remmy just come out and play!" He sang. "hey! I should write a song!"

"If that will get you out of our hair, then yes. Write a symphony while you're at it." Regulus told him with out looking up from his text book.

"You two are absolutely no fun!" he whined.

'I'm okay with that. What about you Reg?" Remus asked.

"Couldn't care less" he replied, again, eyes not leaving his book.

Sirius had decided he was going to find someone to bother. He went throughout the entire castle but all he found was an empty classroom with a lonely little Severus Snape sitting in it.

"Perfect" Sirius thought.

Sirius crept in and snuck up behind the boy. Snape had his head in his hands. Sirius was now standing directly behind Severus. Sirius counted to three inside his head and grabbed Snape's shoulders and yelled. "BOO!"

Snape's eyes went completely wide as he screamed. His heart was racing so fast he felt as if he was going to have a heart attack. Severus turned around just in time to see his assailant run from the room.

"BLACK!"

* * *

Sirius ran through the halls. He ran as fast as he could, but it didn't matter though. Severus Snape was prideful in the fact that he felt no need for exercise, expect for the occasional broom ride. Snape did nothing to keep himself in shape and therefore had no intention of trying to run after Sirius Black. Sirius was no James when it came to sports, but the young boy had quite a set of lungs.

When Sirius had made it to a part of the castle he didn't recognize, he thought he must have run far enough.

Sirius smiled and looked around. "Blimey, where am I?" he thought the best way to solve his problem was to walk down a random corridor. Surely eventually he would recognize something. He walked down the corridor he thought he had come from and then made a left through the next hallway he had found. Sirius started to make random twists and turns, because to him, this was the only way to figure out where he was.

After about an hour of following one hallway that led him back directly to where he had started, he decided that the best thing to do was call for help. The only problem was, he didn't know how. Sirius decided to sit down and think something up.

Fifteen minutes passed, nothing came to mind. He decided to lay down. Thirty minutes passed, still nothing came to mind. No spell or magical remedy he knew would help him. He sat up suddenly. That was it. No _magical_ remedy would help him. He felt his person looking for something.

"Aha!" he yelled. He pulled out the walky-talky he had gotten for his birthday last year. "How did I forget about this? _James, come on James?"_ He waited two minutes more waiting for an answer.

" _James Fleamont Potter! You better fucking answer me!"_ Sirius yelled into the walky-talky

More time passed. He had almost been lost for 2 hours. He was very hungry and he didn't know what to do. Sirius was also fuming because he knew James' Quidditch practice would be over.

"Alright then, have it your way. I'll just keep talking until you answer. You bloody fucking idiot. Maybe I should ask Evans to go out with me as payment for this mistreation of a best friend. Yes Remus, that is totally a word." Sirius had decided if he was alone, he might as well pretend he wasn't.

"Sirius stop being so ignorant towards the English language," Sirius imitated Remus.

"Shut up, Remus. That is a brilliant word." Sirius imitated James.

"Shut up James I'm still mad," Sirius said all while talking into the walky.

* * *

On the other side of things, Regulus had just finished studying and went up to presumably find Sirius. When faced with an empty dorm, he began to wonder where else his brother would have. He decided to find to go find James at e quidditch pitch, also another place Regulus thought his brother would be. He was about to walk out of the dorm when he heard what he thought was the muffled voice of his brother.

"Sirius?" Regulus called out to the empty room. When there was still talking but no answer Regulus decided to follow the voice. He wondered all around the room. The only time he heard the voice louder was near Remus' bed. He looked under the bed, expecting to see Sirius but instead found a empty floor. Regulus was even more complexed. He opened the nightstand drawer and heard Sirius even louder. Regulus perplexed trying to figure how his brother could be trapped in a bedside table.

"Sirius?" Regulus called out again. When there was no reply he started looking for the origin of the voice. He rummaged through the drawer and finally found the strangest looking device that seemed to hold Sirius.

"Maybe it's like a wireless?" Regulus thought aloud.

" _FUCK YOU, IDIOTS, I'M BORED OUT OF MY MIND AND YOU ALL HATE ME! IT'S OBVIOUS! THAT'S WHY YOU WANKERS AREN'T ANSWERING! FUCK YOU! I HATE YOU ALL TOO!" the device screamed._

Regulus thought for a moment. "Answer you?" he wondered. He looked at the device. There seemed to be a button on the side that could either hush Sirius or make him louder _._ On the other side turned Sirius' voice off and on. Finally there was a button in the middle, but Regulus couldn't figure out what it did. He kept pressing it and finally held t down.

"Interesting, this button also turns his voice off, but momentarily. How peculiar." Regulus thought aloud as he pressed the button.

"Reg?" Sirius said. Regulus jumped.

"You can hear me?" he asked.

"Oh, my fucking merlin! I thought I was going to starve before someone ever answered! Of course, I can hear you, don't you know what this is?" Sirius asked.

"But… But how?" Regulus queried.

"Look, I'll explain it later but right now I need you to find someone. In fact anyone who knows the castle, like Minnie, or Dumbles. Please. Oh and get James to come with because I'm going to kick his ripe arse!" Sirius fumed.

Regulus was still quite confused but did as he was told.

Regulus found Professor McGonagall and explained what had happened.

"And Mr. Black is talking through this?" McGonagall asked.

"Yes, here I'll show you." Regulus took the walky and pressed the button. "Sirius, I'm with Pro. McGonagall."

"Thank Merlin. Minnie, you have to come find me. My friends have abandoned me because they hate me, and I don't know where I am!" Sirius told her.

"Sirius," Reg sighed. "That is not what you told me five minutes ago."

"Fine but it sounds better."

Minerva tried not to smile at the brother's bicker.

"Stay where you are at, Mr. Black. I will find you momentarily." McGonagall said into the strange device.

Sirius had been found at the east side of the castle in a lonely hallway. If Sirius hadn't taken so many turns when he went searching for a way out, he would have _found_ a way out.

* * *

As Sirius was reiterating his tale to Remus and James, the three boys listening were falling on the ground laughing.

"I can't believe you, Siri!" James laughed.

"When we said get lost, we didn't mean literally!" Remus told him with a smirk.

Regulus got up from the couch. "While this is all entertaining, I believe I' going to go back to the library." He told the group.

"Here I'll go with you," Remus replied while getting up from the couch as well.

"No!" Regulus said abruptly. "I mean, I would rather study alone right now. it's been a relatively exciting day and I'm just going there to get away from everyone." He explained.

"Oh, I understand. I'll go up to the dorm then, see you all at dinner." Remus declared.

Sirius sighed, "I'll go with you." He turned and followed Remus. Remus rolled his eyes but went upstairs anyhow. James grabbed his quidditch book of plays and started reading by the fire. Regulus went over to the portrait, open it, and then passed Lily as he was going out. Before the portrait closed he could here James jump up, topple over himself, and say hello to Lily.

* * *

Regulus had decided that he needed to search more into werewolves.

Regulus spent the rest of the afternoon and evening studying in the library. Before he jumped to assumptions about Remus, he had to be positive.

After three hours of studying, he was sure.

Remus John Lupin was a werewolf.

Before Regulus would tell anyone, he wanted to give Remus one more full-moon, to double check himself.

Sure enough, October 22 came around, and Remus "went home to a sick mother" not for the last time in his Hogwarts career.

"How many times is Remmy's mum going to get sick?" Sirius asked as he watched the retreating boy.

"Until she gets better?" James replied questioningly.

Regulus swallowed. He felt sick. How could he tell them that their best friend was a werewolf? Regulus didn't even know where Remus transformed. How did he know if the campus was safe? Regulus mentally smacked himself. Of course, it was safe. Dumbledore wouldn't bring him here if it wasn't. Besides, Remus had already done this for an entire year.

Reg took a deep breath.

"Have you ever thought something was suspicious about Remus' trips back home?" he asked.

The two boys looked thoughtful.

"Well, we decided we would wait for him to say something because he will when he wants to. other than that, we've let it go." James replied.

"So, you've never looked into it?" Reg countered.

"Well, I tried, after you pointed out it happened a LOT. Nothing ever came of it though." Sirius told him.

"That's because you didn't count all the times you had forgotten about. Think about it. It happens at least once a month. What else occurs once a month?"

James clenched his jaw. Sirius bit his lip. They both just stared at Regulus.

"Well?" Regulus queried.

"Well, What?" They replied together.

"Do I have to think for _all_ of us?"

"Oh! You want us to answer. I thought it was rhetorical." Sirius explained.

"Quidditch games happen once a month," James answered.

"And, um….. New moon?" Sirius adds.

"So close yet so far away…" Regulus mumbled. "Try again."

"Ooh! Ooh! Full moon! Is that the answer?" James questioned.

"What happens on a full moon, except werewolves?" Sirius inquired.

* * *

Sorry for the _sort_ of cliff hanger… I know I don't post for three months and then I give you a cliff hanger, what sort of writer am I? well, my friend thought I needed to give it more spice, so. Anyway, I'm really frustrated with myself for not finishing and getting this out sooner. SORRY! I watched 12 seasons of Supernatural in a month, so I was kind of busy with that. And I am going on a trip to Colombia that I'm raising money for, and I have a play this weekend that I am in. ugh! I am really busy and I lost a lot of motivation for,… everything so it took a while. I can't promise you anything for the next chapter, but here's this for now. Ttfn!


	9. The Full Moon

When Regulus didn't answer Sirius took a shaky breath. How in the world was he supposed to believe that his best friend was a werewolf? It couldn't be true. Dumbledore wouldn't allow a werewolf on Hogwarts grounds. How could anyone allow that? Sirius knew that what he was taught about werewolves being dirty half-breeds was untrue, but that didn't mean they weren't dangerous. Although at the idea of Remus fucking Lupin being _dangerous_? Now _that_ was laughable.

"Why the hell are you laughing," James asked the young boy. Sirius was trying and failing, to control his giggles.

"Remus, our Remus, is a dangerous, monstrous werewolf!" Sirius started falling off his position on the bed. James smiled. He started laughing as well.

"Our Remmy, dangerous?" James asked incredulously, laughing uncontrollably. Regulus let out a sigh of relief, _they aren't mad_ he thought.

Finally, the boys started calming down.

"Still, how could _Remus John Lupin,_ of ALL people, be a _werewolf_?" Sirius asked. "Snape maybe, but he's more of a vampire."

"Oh, Merlin! We keep forgetting to spread that rumor. Ugh! We are not doing our jobs as pranksters." James said, throwing down his hands in exasperation.

"Get serious James," Regulus began. Before he could say anything, else James grabbed Sirius. Regulus facepalmed. "I mean we need to talk about what to do with this information."

"What do you mean?" Sirius asked

"Well, do we tell people? Do we tell him we know? Do we wait for him to tell us?" Regulus questioned.

James looked thoughtful for a moment, "Well there is no way we should tell anyone! It's not our secret!"

Sirius smiled, "And how the way things are going, we'll be dead before he would ever actually tell us about it."

"So, we tell him we know," Regulus stated.

Sirius hmphed. "I still can't believe this. Where do you think he transforms?"

"Clearly it would have to be a place where he wouldn't be able to get out and hurt anyone," Regulus said, ticking it off on a finger.

"It would also need to be a place that we know no one would stumble upon randomly," Sirius added.

James sighed, "I doubt they had a place like this before, they probably added it to the school right before last year."

"Wait! What did Dumbles say was brand new last year?" Sirius asked.

"Um….. Flitwick? I think they replaced school brooms. But other than that, Oh! Wait!" James bounded away through the dorm entrance.

"Were we supposed to follow?" Regulus asked.

"Probably not. He said to wait." After a silence, Sirius sighed. "Have you heard from Mother or Father yet?" He asked, looking down and not meeting Regulus' eyes.

"This is what you want to talk about?"

"Well, why not?"

"Why not?" Regulus paused trying to find a reason why they shouldn't talk about this. "Well, of course, why not?" Regulus breathed a deep sigh. "No, I haven't heard from Mother but surprisingly Father wrote to me asking how I enjoyed Slytherin so far. Needless to say, I haven't answered."

Sirius sighed again. "I'm sorry." Regulus almost didn't hear him. But before Regulus could ask why James bounded back in.

"Here!" James exclaimed pushing an article into Sirius' face.

"Mate! Watch it." Sirius said grabbing the article and shoving it toward Regulus.

Regulus accepted the piece of paper and swore under his breath. The article James had found was about the Whomping Willow. Of course! It made sense. Why in the world would they put a killer tree on a campus full of children? It seemed quite impractical.

"What is it?" Sirius asked.

Regulus showed the paper to Sirius. "The Whomping Willow. It all makes sense."

"It does?"

"Yes, Siri. Why would they put something _that_ dangerous near children? However, when you think about it, the tree makes sure no one comes near it, which definitely accomplishes one of the priorities in keeping a werewolf away from everyone. And it also keeps the werewolf from getting loose." James said, using his hands to narrate.

"You're right. It keeps us on our side and Remus on his side. where do you think the entrance is though? Is it next to the tree? In the ground? In the tree? And where does it lead to?" Sirius asked.

"I don't know," Regulus said, staring blankly at the comforter.

"Then let's go find out!" Sirius got up and grabbed his brother and friend's hands to pull them off his bed.

"What the hell do you think we're going to do. Go bother the _Whomping Willow_?" Regulus asked. He didn't like the answer.

* * *

The walk down to the Whomping Willow was always the hardest for Remus. He always met with Madame Pomphrey before they headed to the shrieking shack. They would walk through the corridor, and out to the battlements. There they would head down the path opposite to the one leading to Hagrid's hut. The walk seemed long, but after walking it every month for the tenth time, he knew it by heart. His eyes were always fixed on the ground, so he knew every stray tree root, every rock, and every pebble.

He took a shaky breath in and let in out. He always felt awful a few days before the full moon, but when he had a mere hour left until he turned, the feeling was nearly unbearable. He felt his insides churning, ready to spill out on the path. Remus felt every nerve in his body ready to turn against him. With every step he took, the closer he was to every bone and cell in his body breaking and changing. Not only did he feel sick, but Remus also felt as if the wolf was clawing its way out from the inside. He wanted to tear off his skin and pull out his hair. Remus thought that if the wolf never killed him, the anxiety beforehand would.

Finally, they saw the Whomping Willow coming closer and closer until they finally stopped. Madame Pomphrey cast a spell that caused the Willow to come to a stop. Remus then walked the dreaded path by himself, all the way to the shrieking shack. Since the shack had only been built a year prior, the shack still looked new, despite the wolfs efforts in tearing it apart.

Remus made his way to the second floor of the shack, and undressed. When he was completely undressed, he set his clothes in the dresser. Seeing as he had at least thirty more minutes until the wolf made its debut, he got in the bed to try and take a nap.

* * *

"Sirius! This is the stupidest thing you've ever thought of!" Regulus yelled at his brother.

"Are you sure, I mean, Sirius has done some stupid things. However, this is definitely in your top five." James said, shoving the elder Black on the shoulder.

"Oh, come one! You're doing it too, technically." Sirius said, turning around to make his point.

"Against our will," Regulus grumbled.

The three boys ran through the halls, out the front doors, and all the way to the Willow. It was almost 8 o'clock. They still had time before the moon would be at full peak.

It wasn't long until they reached the tree. Once they got there they stopped to look for an entrance.

"Sirius! Don't get so close!" Regulus shouted.

Sirius rolled his eyes. "Reg, I'm 12 feet away from the fucking tree. Stop worrying so much."

The three boys searched all around the willow.

"Hey, guys! I think I found something." James said, shouting in the brother's direction. The Black brothers raced back to see what James had found. The was a slight crook in the tree that seemed to cover up a hole.

"That must be it!" Sirius exclaimed. "but there has to be a way to stop the tree, I mean, if Remus can't get in, what's the point?"

"True, maybe there's a button or something that stops it," Reg said looking for the said object.

James tried to step closer to get a better looked. However, he stepped in a loose path of dirt and crashed into one of the "whomping" branches. Just before the branch was able to throw him off, he grabbed on as tight as he could.

"James!" the brothers shouted simultaneously. Sirius ran to try and help the young potter, but as he was reaching out for James' hand, another branch came bounding towards Sirius' side whacking him away. Regulus ran towards his brother, to check if he was ok.

"Sirius! Are you alright?" Regulus queried. Sirius sat up and groaned. He brought up his hand to rub his head. Meanwhile, James was getting thrown around like a juggling pin. Finally, he was able to angle himself toward the opening in the bottom of the tree and slid straight down.

Sirius smiled confusedly. "Did I just imagine that?" he asked.

Regulus laughed nervously, "Nope." He stated.

"Cool," Sirius uttered. He stood up and shrugged. "Here goes nothing." He ran towards the tree and jumped on to one of the branches. After being handled like an irritating bug, Sirius made his way to the opening as well.

"Those utter wankers."

* * *

Coming through!" Sirius screamed as he fell through the opening, landing on James.

"Ouch, mate!" James said irritatedly. Sirius looked down at what cushioned his landing.

"Sorry," he muttered and got off. The two boys looked around and saw the entrance to a long hallway. "Where do you think that leads?"

James took in a shaky breath. "I have a theory." They began to walk down the path, and suddenly they stopped.

"Wait! Regulus." Sirius looked over at the entrance of the hole, "Should we leave him? Or maybe he already left us? I suppose it doesn't hurt for us to look for him." Sirius walked over to the opening and looked out hoping to see his little brother. Not to his surprise, he was disappointed. "Pity. Where would he go? Did he go to get help?"

"Sirius, at this point it doesn't matter, we should probably finish our mission before we're too late and have to deal with a werewolf." James declared. Sirius nodded, and he turned to follow James down the long corridor.

* * *

Meanwhile, Remus had been laying on the bed trying to fall asleep. Seeing as he was extremely tired, Remus had no idea why he was wide awake. he twisted and turned trying to find some position he could possibly relax in, but the wolf had other ideas of what to do with Remus' last twenty minutes of a clear mind.

 _What will happen when your friends find out you are a monster?_

"Shut up," Remus told the voice in his head. Remus liked to think that it was the wolf trying to make him even more miserable. It happened every full moon. Even when he was little, right before he transformed he always thought of things that did not help his state of mind. Before some of his first full moons, the wolf liked to point out all the things Remus had done wrong, and how it wasn't helping his mother deal with his situation any better. Remus really hated the wolf.

 _No, Really. They're going to hate you. Just like everyone else. You'll never_ _ **actually**_ _have friends. They're probably just using you anyway._

"UGH!" Remus groaned and stuffed a pillow over his face.

 _If they, your "best friends" can't even love you, how can anyone else?_

"Shut the FUCK up!" Remus screamed throwing his pillow in no general direction.

"Well, that's not a nice thing to say to beast friends," Sirius commented smugly. Remus froze. He had to be hallucinating.

"Really, Sirius, are you a-WERE how often you say that?" James added. This couldn't be a hallucination. Remus was going to be sick

"Shit." Remus squeaked, before standing up as quickly as he could and promptly bending over and retching.

"Woah! Remmy are you okay?" Sirius ran over to help his friend, not minding the latter was entirely nude. James on the other hand noticed, and his cheeks tinged a little red as he walked over to his best friend fretting over a naked Remus.

As Remus had calmed down slightly and looked up at the two boys.

"What the fuck! You two need to leave. Now!" Remus said, his voice squeaking near the end. He had started shaking. fearing that he would hurt his best friends and realize they would find out what he was, tears started streaking down his face as they didn't budge.

"Hey Rem, take a breath," James said, rubbing his back comfortingly.

"LEAVE! NOW!" Remus screamed at the two oblivious boys. He was angry, scared, and on top of that, he could feel the wolf rising. James pulled Sirius through the door and down the stairs.

Remus fell down, broken, scared, and soon enough the wolf took over.

* * *

The boys barely made it out of the shack before they heard a howl. They walked back to the opening in silence.

Sirius swallowed thickly before he broke it. "So, it's true." He said simply, not making eye contact with James.

"We can talk about this more when we get back to the dorm." James carefully stuck his head through the opening. He searched around the sides of the opening for a button, or _something_ that would freeze the tree. James smiled triumphantly when he found a notch in the tree that did exactly what he had hoped. The two second years made their way back up to Hogwarts castle. They walked through the doors and were promptly met with a frantic Professor McGonagall followed by a solemn Regulus.

"Boys! What in Merlin were you thinking? Attacking the Whomping Willow? Well, I never- "the professor stopped mid-thought. "You boy is setting new records for how often I have to give out detentions" she huffed and led them to her office. When they arrived, she ushered them through the door and they took their usual seats on the other side of her desk. She went around and sat down in her chair. Regulus stood in the corner of the room, not sure what to do.

"So, we have detention? With you Minnie?" Sirius asked with hope evidently in his voice. Professor McGonagall sat back in her chair, clearly deep in thought. She sighed and sat up putting her hands on her desk.

"You two boys are setting all sorts of new records. However," she stopped and sighed again, "fighting the Whomping Willow is not necessarily _breaking_ the rules." All three boys looked up in surprise. "Although I have no means in giving you detention, remember that there should not be the next time. You may go." She then took out a quill and started grading papers. The boys sat still, shocked. "Do you need to be told twice?" McGonagall looked as she saw no movement in the boys. As if snapped out of a trance, the three children shuffled out of her office without another word.

* * *

None of the boys talked until they were back in the second year's boy dorm. Surprising to them, Kingsley Shaklebolt was sleeping in the fourth bed in the room.

"Who is he?" Regulus asked. Kingsley worked late into the night either in the library or in the common room, so none of the boys had ever really noticed him.

"Oh, he's our dorm mate," James said, nonchalantly throwing himself onto his bed.

Regulus rolled his eyes. "No, really" the sarcasm in his voice obvious.

Sirius smiled. "That's Kingsley, he doesn't normally sleep here. He's good friends with third years and Ravenclaws so he always ends up with them or sleeps in the library or common room. We forget this is his dorm too, sometimes. I think we've locked him out too many times for him to care anymore." Regulus frowned, obviously disapproving how the boys treated the boy.

James jumped up. "We should ask if he wants to switch with Reg." Sirius shrugged.

"It doesn't matter at the moment. We should really talk about the other thing." Regulus said, motioning to Remus' empty bed with his head.

"Right," Sirius said, going over to pile on James' bed and motioning for Regulus to do the same.

"So, what are we going to do?" Regulus asked, trying to start the conversation. Sirius laid down on the bed and stared up at the ceiling. James was busying himself by closing the curtains of his bed.

Sirius sighed. "I don't know."

* * *

A/N: Hey guys! I am finally getting this out. I have been perfecting it for a while. I hope you like the little bit of intensity I added. I'm thinking of adding a bit more of a plot line since I don't really know what my plot is. All I know has I wanted a world without Pettigrew so that no one dies, but that's not much of a plot. So, I'm thinking up some "bad" things to happen so it's not all unicorns and butterflies. But don't worry, No one will die. I hate death (as I have probably mentioned). I'll probably just do a lot between Regulus and Sirius. And I want to add more between James and Remus since no one characterizes them as very close. I feel like James may be the leader, but if it weren't for Sirius, the entire group would fall apart. Anyway, the third year will probably be a lot of bonding and sexual tension. As will the fourth year. Anyway, enjoy!


	10. The Day After

A/N: I am going to stop apologizing mostly because it is pointless at this point because I don't know how regularly I will get these chapters out, but I will keep trying. Anyway, my excuse this time is work and school, but I am finally caught up and have just enough motivation to get at least through the second and third year. Plus, like I am sure the I have said before, third and fourth year will be more interesting for me because we finally get to some pre-wolfstar stuff so…. Without further ado

* * *

Day After

Sirius Black had never been one for waking up early. Not to say that he wasn't a morning person, for, in fact, he was cheery no matter what time of the day. Remus found this quite confusing because Remus was definitely _not_ a morning person. The idea anyone could be happy before eleven o'clock in the morning was perplexing to the lycanthrope. However, no matter what Sirius was like after he awoke, he never enjoyed the "waking up" part of the, day. _Especially_ if the "waking up" part was before eight in the morning.

Nonetheless, on this particular morning, Sirius was determined to be up before the sun. the only problem Sirius found himself running in to, was how to be up early enough to sneak out with everyone none the wiser. Sirius _knew_ James would probably be up and around since the young Potter tended to sleep in short spurt. However, Regulus had spent the night in Remus' bed, and Sirius was convinced his younger brother would wonder what he was doing.

Sirius slowly got out of his bed and tiptoed to the bathroom. Sure enough, the pajamas splayed throughout the bathroom indicated James was probably out on his morning run. Sirius quickly put on his school outfit, minus the tie, and quietly left the dorm. He spelled the time to display at the end of his wand.

 _6:00 am_

Sirius hoped he was early enough. Sirius ran down the dormitory steps and rushed into the common room. Of course, the young Black wasn't watching where he was going.

An "Oomph!" came out of the thing Sirius collided with.

"Watch it, Black!" Lily said, glaring at the rushing boy. When he didn't stop to even notice he had collided with the girl, she furrowed her brow confused. _Where could he be going in such a hurry?_ She thought.

Sirius pushed open the portrait door and sprinted through the castle. He stopped to catch his breath when he made it out to the battlements. He then took up his sprint again and quickly made it to the Whomping Willow. As he reached his location he went over to a line of trees to search for an object long enough to hit the notch James had found. Sirius smiled triumphantly when he found said object, a long stick, at least six feet, he went over to a place where he could reach for the notch. Sirius darted through the opening once the Whomping Willow stopped. By the time Sirius had made it to the entrance of the Shrieking Shack, it was almost light out. Before Sirius entered the shack, he spelled his wand to show the time again.

 _6:45_

Sirius drew a shaky breath. He went over to the door and pressed his ear to it. He searched for any signs he would walk in on a werewolf. Not hearing anything too suspicious, Sirius opened the door and walked in. Sirius scrunched his eyes, half expecting a wolf to jump out and kill him. Seeing as he wasn't dead, Sirius searched the shack for his friend. After he didn't find Remus on the first floor, he made his way upstairs. Suddenly he heard a whimpering. Sirius ran to the origin of the sound, and sure enough, there was Remus.

The sight Sirius arrived upon made him stop in his tracks. For the first time since he had woken up that day, he wasn't in a rush to get any closer. The sight Sirius' eyes laid upon was a pale, bruised, and bloody Remus Lupin. He was laying on the cold hardwood floors in the fetal position, one hand laying out, the other clutched to his chest. His one leg looked distorted and there was a large gash on Remus' other leg. Sirius was finally snapped out of his trance when he heard a groan indicating Remus was awakening.

"Remus," Sirius gasped. He slowly approached the poor child, bending down to get a better look of Remus' face. Along the lycanthrope's jaw was another large cut. Unexpectedly, Remus' eyes flew open. Remus flinched, too scared and hurt to do anything.

"Remus," Sirius breathed. He brought his arm out to touch the shivering boy but quickly recoiled his hand, not wanting to cause any more pain to the boy.

Remus stayed still, not wanting to hurt himself more than he already had. He didn't make eye contact with Sirius and tried to take a deep breath. That backfired when he felt a sharp pain in his chest. Remus flinched when he felt the pain, which caused a ripple effect of more small pains. Remus had scrunched his eyes in an effort not to cry out. When he opened them once more, he was met with Sirius again.

"I'll go get Madame Pomphrey," Sirius said as he watched Remus gasping in pain. Sirius sat for a moment longer, his eyes following along Remus' body.

"No," Remus said, clearing the tickle in his dry throat, and then wincing in even more pain. "She'll come soon. Don't leave."

Sirius nodded and sat closer to the lycanthrope. He reached out his hand once more, softly brushing the hair out of Remus' eyes. Remus closed his eyes quietly relishing the soft touch that reminded him of when his mother sat with him after full moons. Sirius started to gently run his hands through Remus' hair. Just like Remus had said, Madame Pomphrey arrived soon enough.

"Mr. Black, what on earth do you think you're doing here?" The Madame said, quickly running over to the injured child.

"Please, help him," Sirius said in almost a whisper, frowning at Remus hurt figure.

Madame Pomphrey sighed, looking at Sirius. "Move aside," she said, attending to Remus' most detrimental wounds. As soon as the boys most pressing wounds were healed, she wrapped him in a covering and cast a _mobilus corpus_ guiding him back to the hospital wing.

After she had tended to all of Remus' injuries, she let Sirius come over to Remus' still sleeping form. Remus had passed out from the pain sometime earlier. Sirius sat on the side of his bed frowning at the scarred boy.

Moments had passed before Regulus and James came running in.

James stopped catching his breath, "Is he alright?"

Regulus rolled his eyes, "No, James he's dying," Regulus sighed, "of course he's _alright_. I'm guessing he's been a werewolf for a while so obviously one full moon wouldn't kill him."

"Shut the fuck up, Reg. It's too early for your sarcasm." Sirius said, eyes never wavering from Remus. Regulus eyes widened, and he held his arms up in surrender.

Remus stirred from is sleep, yawning and stretching, and wincing from the pain of stretching. Amber eyes met silver, and he flinched. Remus looked over to the other pair of silver eyes but quickly looked down to his hands. Once more he chanced to look up and found James looking worriedly at him.

Averting his eyes once more, he worried his lip and sat up. He opened his mouth to say something but quickly closed it not trusting his voice. He pursed his lips.

"If you're going to hate me, might as well start now. You don't have o pretend to be nice." Remus said finally after a few more minutes in silence.

"Hate you?" James asked, eyebrows furrowing.

Remus played with the sheet in his hands, "They all do, eventually. I'd rather get the unpleasantries over with already, thank you very much." He said so matter of factly. "I don't think I would be able to handle you pretending to be nice to me." He added in a whisper. The room fell silent again, and finally, Sirius broke the tension by gently pulling the young werewolf into a hug. James and Regulus crowded around him.

Remus broke out in tears. "But… But don't you hate me?"

Sirius let go of him, "Hate you? Why would we hate you?" He said, eyes softening.

"Because… I-I'm am-monster" Remus said looking away, not able to bear the looks on their faces when they realize what he really is.

"Remus, your trunk is full of books, and you've read a quarter of the Hogwarts library," Regulus said, sitting at the end of Remus' cot.

"Besides you fold your socks, forgive if I'm not trembling at the sight of you," James said laughing.

"I'm still a beast."

Sirius rolled his eyes, "One night, once a month you grow some fur, that's it. You haven't hurt anyone and more importantly, you would _never_ intentionally hurt someone, and I don't believe it's right to punish you for something you can't control." He said.

"But… but…." Remus sputtered

"No buts," Sirius said smiling.

"I don't' know what to say," Remus said, looking like he was questioning everything that had happened to him since he was bitten. "How did you figure it out?"

"I did, actually." Regulus said, "I noticed your pattern and then asked these two dunderheads about it. They helped slightly but not much. Nothing really came together until I had astronomy class the night after a full moon and had seen you right before acting all crabby. Then someone in my astronomy class mentioned the whole werewolf thing and it sort of clicked. I did thorough research and waited for your pattern to show itself again before I conferred with them about it. I hope you don't' mind." Regulus finished, looking down, realizing maybe he should have confronted Remus first since it was his secret.

Remus smiled, "I don't think I mind. I should actually thank you. I don't believe I would have ever admitted to it and I hated lying about it. Especially to you guys," he looked up at Sirius and looked down again, "I'm sorry for not telling you sooner"

Sirius grinned, "It's understandable, however, I will hold it over your head for the rest of the semester of course,"

"Of course," Remus said, mocking the elder Black.

Regulus looked at the clock on the wall, "Oh, I should get to class. Please promise me neither of you will skip just for Remus." Regulus said, getting up and grabbing his bag of books.

"No promises brother mine," Sirius said nudging James on the shoulder and sharing a mischievous grin.

"Yeah, no promises, Reg," James said looking over at the time, "Remus do want us to get you anything?"

"Yes, actually, my homework." Remus said smirking.

"But for that, we'd have too…. Oh." Sirius stopped realizing he just got played, "You little shit." He said getting off the bed and grabbing James arm, "We're leaving, Potter. Can't let our Remmy get behind on his homework."

* * *

A/N thank yo so much for reading and sticking with me this far. like i always say, i hope these chapter will get out more quickly, but no proises. love you all and am awaiting your reviews(insert smiley face here)


	11. Almost Christmas

Remus snuck through the crowded hallways trying to make it to his last class of the day when he ran straight into a tall figure, well, taller than him.

"Oops, sorry," Remus mumbled as he looked at the ground.

"Watch where you are going, dunderhead, "Narcissa said, seething as she stared down at the scarred, and scared, boy. "I see you have a pretty set of new scars, _Lupin"_ she drawled.

Remus averted her eyes and continued to make his way to class, but before he could he ran into another abominable Slytherin.

"So, Lupin, where are your pretty little guard dogs? Huh? They seemed very worried about you this morning at breakfast. Besides half the school is talking about the incident last night, they're in up rage that Potter and Black didn't get detention." Severus Snape said, leering over the small boy. Severus wasn't very tall, but it wasn't very hard to be taller than Remus.

Remus rolled his eyes, lowered his head and sighed, "Fuck off, Snape."

"Excuse me?"

Remus met black eyes and gave Snape his best bitch face, "I said, fuck off. I try to be nice to you Snape, but it seems you and every other Slytherin are giving me no choice but to be a crabby bitch today. So yeah, fuck off, before my 'Guard Dogs" find me. then you'll have real hell to pay." He finished, but too true to his words, Sirius, Regulus, and James weren't far off behind him.

Snape's eyes widened slightly, but he recomposed himself back into his original haughty stance.

"Oy! Remus!" Sirius yelled, slinging an arm around Remus' shoulders. "Is this prat bothering you?"

"Yes, because I do believe it has been far too long since we have found a reason to have some fun with Mr. Snivelus here," James said, grinning mischievously.

Regulus rolled his eyes and stood between the Severus and his group of friends, "No, you will not attack Severus for any reason. He is a human being just like everyone else and has not given any of you a real reason to hate him and 'have fun' with him. Please lets all just go to potions class. _Please_." He tried to drag his friends from the situation when Snape grabbed Sirius' shoulder the boy could turn away.

"Call off your brother, Black. Tell him I don't need someone to defend me." Snape said, eyes boring into the back of the younger Blacks skull.

"I didn't tell him to defend you, be rest assured of that. If I had my way, you wouldn't be here." Sirius said through clenched teeth.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"That means you shouldn't have come up to Remus all threateningly like that," Sirius said as Remus grasped his arm trying to pull him away from the situation. However, Sirius just shook the hand off.

"So, I was right, you really are his guard dog," Severus said, lip curling in disgust.

"Of course, I will always protect Remus, do hear that? _Always_. And if I find you near him again when I'm not around, you will have hell to pay. Now go fuck yourself." Sirius said turning around and heading to class. Remus stood still completely perplexed at what just happened in front of him. James turned to Snape and sent him a stinging hex, and promptly followed his friend dragging Remus with him.

Regulus stayed after his friends left, " _Finite Incantatum_ ," he said, taking the hex off of Severus. "I tried to get you away from that, I even got them to walk away. You were the idiot this time that kept the taunting going!" Regulus turned away, scurrying off to the Gryffindor dorm.

* * *

Almost two weeks after the incident was Sirius' thirteenth birthday. This birthday went a little better than the last since they were able to plan a party _on_ his birthday. Andy and Ted sent him a couple of gifts and a wedding invitation for their wedding that would be during his Easter break.

The month after was relevantly ordinary for the group of Gryffindors. Soon enough it was time to start thinking about Christmas and what they were to do about Christmas break. Sirius and Regulus sat on Sirius' bed contemplating exactly what they would do to try to make sure they didn't have to be home for Christmas.

"Well, we still have the Gryffindor card," Regulus said, lying upright against one of the bottom posters of the fourth poster bed.

Sirius sighed, "Yes, I suppose we do. I wish we could save it for Summer. However, I suppose if we don't use it now, we'll end up going home and they'll find out over Christmas. Shite," Sirius said, throwing his textbook towards the head of the bed. He had been lying against the opposite poster of where Regulus was lying.

"it is our last card. We will just have to think of something else for the summertime." Regulus said sighing. "Perhaps Andy will get pregnant. That would help. They would be so mad at her for marrying a muggle-born and procreating with him, they might forget about us coming home altogether." Regulus smiled at his brother's bark of a laugh. Sirius laughed so much here at Hogwarts. He had changed so much since he had gotten away from their parents.

"That's all we can hope for at this point I suppose. Perhaps we should write to Andy. They'd have to start soon, otherwise, it would be too soon to announce the pregnancy. Plus, there's the added factor that the child had been conceived out of wedlock," Sirius said, smirking.

Suddenly, Remus ran through the door, shoving a letter into Sirius' hands.

"Hi. Remus," Sirius said, his brow furrowing at the abruptness of his friends' actions.

"Look at the letter," Remus said panting, trying to catch his breath. He had run all the way from the owlery where he had received and read his letter.

"Dear lovebug…." Sirius smiled, "Lovebug? Really?"

"Just continue the damn letter you wanker," He said glaring at the elder Black.

"Dear lovebug… blah blah blah, how's school. Blah blah blah, father, blah. Ah, here, 'If you would like, you may invite your friends' home for Christmas, assuming they don't already have plans. Seeing as I didn't get to have you last Christmas, I shan't allow you to go to any of your friends' homes or stay at Hogwarts for Christmas. I missed you far too much last year, even if I did get you for New Years. Love you and miss you and can't wait for you to come home and make cookies with me. awaiting your reply, Mummy' aww…. Remmy, that's so adorable."

"Shut up you wanker," Remus said rolling his eyes and trying to hide the blush creeping up on his cheeks. He waited a few more moments. "Well? What do you say?"

"Oh! Oh, I don't know. If we can get ourselves out of Christmas at home, sure. Of course, we'd love to come home with you. Right, Reg?" Sirius said, nudging his brother on his shoulder.

"Sure," Regulus said looking down at his hands.

"What's wrong?" Remus asked, sitting on the bed facing the two boys.

"We haven't told mummy and daddy dearest of our newest betrayal yet. Reg's nervous since he really hasn't disappointed them this much before." Sirius explained.

"Oh, of course, well. At least now you'll have a place to go for Christmas to get away from it all. Mum's ecstatic to meet everyone."

"Ecstatic? Really?" Regulus said raising his eyebrow and smirking.

"Yes," Remus deadpanned, "She used those _exact_ words in a previous letter. She's amazing, my mum. I'm excited for you to meet her as well."

"Aw… Remmy, such a mama's boy." Sirius said, pinching Remus' cheek.

Remus swatted the hand away, "Shove off," he said blushing and smiling.

Regulus frowned, "You don't talk about your dad much." Remus looked down and got off the bed to put his letter away.

"Not much to talk about." He said. Remus sighed and turned around, "Sorry, he's great too. It's just… hard for him that's all. Anyway, I'd rather drop it, if you don't mind?"

Sirius shrugged, "Anyway, we should get to writing a letter to mother and father, shouldn't we Reg?"

Regulus rolled his eyes, "if we must."

* * *

Later on that day Sirius went on his way to deliver his letter to the owlery, James prancing on his right side.

"I can't wait for Christmas now! I've never spent it away from my parents. It will be brilliant. No stuffy parties, no stuffy suits or awkward dances where ever old lady begs me to dance with them and I start smelling like mothballs…." James stopped in his track when he realized his best friend wasn't listening to him. "What's wrong Sirius?"

Sirius was snapped out of his trance by the mention of his name, "What? Oh, sorry. Just a lot on my mind."

"Such as?" James said bumping Sirius' shoulder.

"Well, not only am I holding the evidence to be presented at the trial concerning my death, but I was counting the day from the last full moon," Sirius said pointlessly hoping James would catch on.

"And…"

"And the last full moon was twenty-one days ago."

"And…"

"Merlin, James, your useless!" Sirius said throwing his hands up in the air.

"Oh! Oh, I got it. In a twenty-eight-day cycle, we are on day twenty-one." James said jumping up and down.

"Exactly, the full moon is in a week," Sirius said, sighing and looking to the ground. "I hate this," He said in a low voice so that only James could hear him, "he looked so miserable last time. And now we know why, and we can't do a single thing about it! I... I just… I can't sit around and let this happen time after time. I... we have to do something. Anything." Sirius finished with a sharp sigh.

James nodded in agreement, "And we will. But what can we right this second? Huh? Be there for him. Well, at least until we no longer are able to without bodily harm."

Sirius stopped in his tracks. "Maybe that's just it."

"What's just it?"

"We need to be there for him!" Sirius said with a smile growing on his face, "Of course, we need to be there and stop any harm from being inflicted."

"Sirius, I think you might have lost me again."

Sirius rolled his eyes and pulled him to a secluded corner so they could talk without anyone hearing them, "We need to be there when Remus transforms, don't you see? If we could be there to keep, um," Sirius looked around to see student passing busily by, " _Moony_ ," he said raising his eyebrows pointedly while James' mouth formed an 'o', "from hurting Remus, then we wouldn't have to worry. "

James nodded, "oy, that's what we can call him. Moony. I like it. However, how the hell are we gonna be able to do that? You do realize at their peak, they are considered some of the most dangerous animals on the entire earth, right next to dragons?" Sirius gave him a look, "I didn't say Remus was, he hardly is, I think he's more docile than a hedgehog, however 'Moony' is extremely dangerous, and wouldn't hesitate to hurt his own mother, let alone you or me."

Sirius thought as he started walking towards the owlery again, "That's why we need to do some research. There has to be _some_ way. However, I don't think we should tell him."

"Wha-,"

"He's just going to try to stop us from doing something dangerous. I swear his self-image and self-preservation skills are awful. I don't think _he_ thinks he deserves us. I mean, us! Honestly, I think we are more of a curse than a blessing." Sirius said interrupting the young Potter. Seconds later he was pushed over sideways into the fresh snow, which of course led to a snow wrestling match.

* * *

The week passed quickly until the dreaded day of December the twentieth. Remus began to look paler and paler, losing all signs of health, or so Sirius says.

"Moony, you have to eat," Sirius said as he was trying to prop Remus up at the Gryffindor table. However, instead of sitting up, Remus snuggled further into Sirius' shoulder. "Blimey, can one of you two wankers help me?"

"I'm weak, useless really. And it seems 'Moony' there is really enjoying your shoulder there, I would hate to take it from him." Regulus said pointing to the stronghold Remus had on Sirius.

"Alright, James?" Sirius asked, but James was staring at a certain redhead not even noticing the scene that was ensuing. "You're both useless. I had to carry him down here AND try to get him to eat but no neither of you can bother to help our friend when he is in need."

Regulus cowed slightly, feeling bad at the fact Sirius was doing everything to help Remus. James, however, had not taken his eyes off of Lily Evans since she walked in the Great Hall.

Remus, on the other hand, was half asleep. still awake enough to understand that Sirius was next, but not comprehending that Sirius had him on his lap and had carried him down bridal style.

"Shove off Siri, I didn't ask for you to feed me," Remus mumbled into Sirius' shoulder. Sirius smiled and blushed at the whole scenario.

"Remmy, please eat. You'll need all the strength you can muster for the train ride tomorrow." Sirius whispered into the younger boy's ear.

Remus sits up, "What you mean I can't sleep?" He asks concernedly.

"No Remmy, you can sleep, but I don't want to have to carry you everywhere," Sirius says and begins to rub Remus' back.

Suddenly it hits Remus that he is sitting in Sirius' lap and jumps off moving the bench back and spilling several glasses of pumpkin juice off the table.

"Sorry," Remus manages to mumble out before turning an impossible shade of red and running out of the room.

Sirius' brow furrowed for a minute before he shook his head and relaxed propping his elbows at the table and scooting his side of the bench back in. Regulus stared at Sirius for a minute before going back to breakfast. James still hadn't noticed anything but the stunning color of Lily's red hair and the smile she makes when her friends tell her a joke and the frown she gets every time she looks at James.

Sirius sat grabbing food left and right off the middle of the table hungrily eating his breakfast.

"Slow down, will you?" Regulus said, "Anyway, have you heard back from Mother and Father yet?"

Sirius didn't look up and continued stuffing food in his mouth. After a minute he stopped and looked at his brother, "Nope."

Regulus furrowed his brow, "Do you think it got lost or something?"

Sirius sighed and stabbed at his eggs, "No because we would still be getting a letter concerning Christmas." He stopped and dropped his fork, "Do you think they've disowned us, or are at least trying to figure out the legal matters to do so?"

Regulus' browed furrowed further, "Well, I wasn't until now." He said thinking for a moment and biting his lower lip, and finally, he took a deep breath in and out, "Well, we can always ask you-know-who." He gestured towards the Slytherin table.

Sirius looked bewildered and brought his head lower and closer to Regulus' "Voldemort?" he whispered. Regulus slapped him right up the head.

"No, you prat! Narcissa." Regulus whisper-yelled. Sirius nodded his head in realization.

"You're right, she would know," Sirius said, frowning at his plate. "Fine. Let's do it then" Sirius got up from his seat and walked quickly over to the Slytherin table. Swallowing his pride, he went up to his cousin and tapped her on the shoulder. She turned around, glaring at him and then at Regulus, "Can we talk to you out in the hallway?" he asked confidently.

She rolled her eyes, but then got up from her spot next to her boyfriend and followed the two young boys out of the Great Hall.

"Well if it isn't Blood Traitor number one and Blood Traitor number two. What do you want?" she asked harshly hoping she could get this done and over with as quickly as possible.

"I'm surprised you left without a fuss," Sirius said, scrunching his nose in confusion.

"One thing I learned this summer is in front of others you don't refuse family but when in private you give them a piece of your mind. What is it that you want from me?" she said picking at her nails in disinterest between the glares she shot at the brothers.

"We were just wondering if you know what's happening at home since you seem to have a healthier relationship with our parents than we do. We haven't heard from them in a week." Regulus said, crossing his arms.

A nasty smile grew on Narcissa's face. "I heard from my parents that Auntie Walburga and Uncle Orion are completely incoherent. Auntie Walburga yelled for eight hours straight before she took a break and since then Uncle has been staring out a window, not eating nor noticing anyone else existence. I don't think any of them have had a good night's sleep for days. From what I understand, my parents have said you're forbidden from going home until summer time for your own safety."

Both boys shared a look of confusion, "Since when has anyone in our family done something to protect us from bodily harm?" Sirius asked.

"Oh no, protect you from death. You'll probably get the beating of your life this summer, however mother and father don't think it would look ok for you two to be murdered, so until they can find a foolproof way of doing it, you're forbidden to step foot in the house." Narcissa finished with a laugh.

"Why don't they just disown us?" Regulus said in a quiet voice, eyes meeting the floor.

"They can no longer produce an heir, it would be disastrous to disown both of you without a pending heir. And they refuse to make me their heir, seeing as I'm not 100 percent Black. For some reason, Uncle Orion has gotten this idea that only his and Walburga's child can be heir to their ancestral money because 'only they would be 100 percent out of the lineage of the black family.'" She said mimicking a man's voice, "I'm afraid they are still quite ignorant to genetics."

"So, they won't disown us?" Regulus asked.

"Not unless they believe they have no other choice. However, they still haven't decided who is more to blame for the situation, Sirius or Dumbledore." Narcissa said sighing. "May I go now?"

"Yes, thank you for telling us," Sirius said, turning around and heading towards the dormitory.

"Whatever," she said rolling her eyes.

"Where are you going?" Regulus shouted down the hallway as he ran after his brother.

"To tell Remus the good news," Sirius said, still stalking down the halls.

* * *

A/N: Alright I'm leaving it off here because I want to give you a chapter but at the same time its' past my bedtime and I'm tired. Anyway, I hope you like my little hints of the Wolfstar that is to come. I am really excited, but I can't get too ahead of myself because this will be a very slow developing relationship. Almost Luke and Lorelai from Gilmore Girls slow. And if you don't get that reference and love Jared Padalecki, I strongly recommend the show to you. Anyway, here you go!

Also, I would love to hear comments on any concerns or ideas you have with my plot that you would care to give. Obviously be nice because I am a young writer, but I definitely would love to hear any of your thoughts on things because only hearing that your story is amazing only helps with the motivation, not content ;D also if you have any concerns about my grammar shove off because I do the best I know how.


	12. Christmas Break Part 1 of ?

A/N: I really tried to get this out for Christmas but it didn't happen and now I have to split it into two parts, three if I get caught up in myself. anyway, thanks for reading. have fun

* * *

Sirius was sitting on the window sill looking out the window of the Gryffindor boy's dormitory.

"Tempus" he muttered. The time showed 7:34 am. Sirius huffed, leaning his head back against the wall. He couldn't stand waiting. Waiting was the worst thing ever. Waiting meant anticipation and anticipation only ever gave Sirius anxiety because anticipation never meant something good in his experience. James jumped out of bed, yawning and stretching as he walked over to see what Sirius was staring at.

"What are you up to, Siri?" He asked sitting opposite to Sirius on the windowsill. Sirius turned to face James and the young potters face scrunched up in confusion. "Did you sleep at all last night?" Sirius's eyes were red and had dark circles underneath them.

Sirius' eyes bulged out of his head, "What? No," he shook his head, "I mean of course I did," he said not meeting James' eyes. "I just got up early, that's all," Sirius got up from where he was sitting and moved over to his trunk to finish packing.

James knowingly raised an eyebrow and shook his head, "Whatever," he muttered whilst heading towards the bathroom. "What time does the train leave?" He asked before he headed through the door and shutting it behind him.

"Eleven," Sirius yelled, not looking away from packing his trunk. He stared intently into one of his sweaters before setting it down and heading over to the window. Sirius looked back at the door James disappeared behind and ran to the door leading to the common room. "I'm going out to find him," He yelled dashing down the stairs

"Fuck it all," an annoyed Kingsley Shacklebolt said covering his face in his pillow.

* * *

Sirius ran down the corridor as fast as his legs would carry him, meanwhile bumping into unsuspected students who stood in his way. Sirius nearly toppled over Professor McGonagall before finally reaching his destination. He rushed into the hospital wing and looked for his favorite lycanthrope. When he found Remus, the dark-haired boy grinned and began to approach him. Madame Pomphrey walked over to check on her patient and seeing that he was sleeping peacefully, she gave Sirius a look that said, "Wake him up and I might just admit you here for the entire holiday"

Sirius sat in the chair near Remus's bedside, watching as his friend's chest went up and down. Suddenly amber eyes met silver. Remus smiled when he recognized it was Sirius waiting for him to wake up.

"How long have you been here," Remus said swallowing to try and wet his dry throat. He reached over for the water sitting next to his bed. Sirius helped him sit up so he could take a drink. "Thanks."

"Not long," Sirius said sitting back down, "I hope I didn't wake you, mostly because I think Madame Pomphrey might kill me if I had."

Remus chuckled and then winced, "I won't tell if you won't."

Sirius smiled softly before looking down at his feet, "I packed your trunk for you. I figured you probably wouldn't be up to it this morning. Especially since we only have about three hours before the train leaves." He said nonchalantly swinging his feet up on Remus's bed.

"What?" Remus said quickly sitting up and then regretting it.

Sirius brought his feet down and put his hand on Remus's shoulder. "Calm down, there's plenty of time for whatever the hell you're worrying about. Don't get your wand in a twist." He said pushing his friends back into a resting position.

"Your right," Remus said relaxing into his pillow, "Besides don't you have an end of term prank to be executing?"

Sirius grinned mischievously, "I'm gonna go see if Madame Pomphrey will let me take you back to the dorm before we leave and then you'll have a front row seat to the event." He said winking to his fellow marauder before jumping up to go find the Medi-witch.

* * *

"I don't think it is fair that Moony has to stay in the Hospital wing and miss the prank he thought up," James whined while hoisting Regulus up to the edge of the stairs. The boys thought of an ingenious way to sneak into the girl's dormitory and get passed the slide. Instead of climbing the actual stairs they were going to climb up the edge of the stairway.

"How the hell did I get roped into this? And since when did we start calling Remus Moony?" Regulus said looking down to the potter boy currently shoving him up the side of the stairs.

"Look, you're the next lightest after Remus and even though I'm the strongest of the group, I'm still not that strong. Also, Sirius and I came up with the name last night. Clever, right? Do you have the jar?" James asked giving Regulus one last push.

"Yup, got the jar" Regulus replied, "However, I really don't understand how this is a good tactic to get Lily to like you."

"You first years know absolutely nothing. This is a brilliant tactic to get Evans to like me. if this doesn't work, I don't know what will." James reached up to grab the hand Regulus lowered for him.

"We're doing this to get Evans to like you? I thought it was just to prank the second-year girls in general." Sirius asked reaching up to James, who was now successfully on the first level of the tower.

"Well of course it is, but I added an extra part especially for Evans. I think she'll like it. By the looks of it, she enjoys slimy looking things if her being friends with Snape says anything." James said pulling Sirius up.

"One more bloody level to go," Regulus growled.

An hour later they met Remus down by the train before they boarded. Remus was found sitting on his luggage trying not to fall asleep.

"So, did you, wankers, pull it off as flawlessly as I would of?" Remus asked as they walked over and dropped their luggage down.

"It would have if someone hadn't tried to be smart," Sirius grumbled glaring at James.

"It wasn't my fault! How should I have known omnino engorgio would make the kelpy that large. In my mind, it would only make it slightly bigger than we originally planned. The book doesn't tell you how much bigger! It's the book's fault really." James said crossing his arms grumpily.

"That wasn't a part of the plan James, you were supposed to stick to the plan!" Remus said throwing his hands in the air. He then cringed, grabbing his shoulder.

Sirius smiled justly towards James and then turned back to Remus, "Let's get you on the train. Reg, get his trunk." He said throwing his arm under Remus'.

"When did I become your servant? Why do I have to get his luggage? Why not James?" Regulus said glaring at his brother. Before Sirius could answer a large silhouette shadowed them.

"Don' worry mister Black, I'll get it," The Groundskeeper, Hagrid, said.

Regulus smiled back at the half-giant before grabbing onto James's Shirt and dragging him away from staring at a certain redhead he had caught a glimpse of.

Regulus turned to James before they followed, "Go on ahead James, I'll catch up with you guys later."

"There you go Remmy," Sirius said as he set Remus down on the seat closest to the window. "How are you feeling?"

"Tired," Remus said yawning and laying his head against the window. "Wake me up when we get to Kings Cross.

Sirius sat down next to him and kicked his feet up on the opposite seat. James shoved the boy's feet off so he could sit across from Remus. James glanced at his best friend.

"Do you forgive me yet?" James asked the dark-haired boy.

Sirius glared. "You ruined my prank."

"Technically, it wasn't your prank."

"You still ruined it."

"But I apologized!"

"No, you asked if I forgave you yet."

James frowned, "It's the same thing."

Sirius glared some more at the Potter. "Do you really want forgiveness?"

"Of course!"

"Then tough luck," Sirius said folding his arms and slouching down more in his seat. James peered over at his friend who was staring intently at his lap.

"Do you want to play exploding snaps?" James asked as if he was trying to tempt a child with a piece of candy.

Sirius didn't answer for a moment. Then he finally looked up and smiled, "Alright."

Meanwhile, after Regulus got on the train, he waited around for a certain redhead and her slimy friend to board the train. As Lily and Snape came bounding through the train, Regulus stood up to get in their way.

"Hello, Lily," He said nodding his head at her and did the same to Snape. "Severus." He then turned back to Lily, "would you like to sit down?"

"Why?" Lily asked trying not to sound too suspicious.

"I wanted to talk to you both," Regulus said licking his lips and swallowing. Lily sat down and Severus sat next to her.

"What would you like to talk about?" Lily asked propping her chin up on her hand.

"Well," Regulus said sitting down and letting out a breath through his nose, "I guess I'll start with an apology for my brother. There's no real excuse for why he does the things he does. I don't approve of it any more than either of you."

"Oh, so you didn't help them put an enlarged kelpy in my dormitory?" Lily asked sitting back and crossing her arms.

"No, I mean, well, I did," Regulus started. Lily hmphed. "But you have to understand, they guilted me into it!"

"What? Did they threaten to send you to the mercies of your parents if you didn't help?" Snape asked raising an eyebrow.

Regulus rolled his eyes, "I said they guilted me, not blackmail. Besides why I did it is no concern of yours and not why I came here."

"Then why did you stop us?" Lily asked.

"I want to be friends." Regulus said, "I go along with them because I have no other choice and no other friends. Maybe if I had someone else to ally with, I wouldn't hang around them so often."

Lily and Snape stared at the younger Black brother. Snape smirked, "How on earth did you get put into Gryffindor?"

"What do you mean, Sev?" Lily asked, her brow furrowing.

Severus glanced between Lily and Regulus, "That was such a Slytherin move, or even Ravenclaw depending which way you look at it. There's no way he's Gryffindor material."

Regulus sighed. "I think you, and my friends, really have the wrong idea about the purpose for the houses. Whether you are put into Gryffindor, Slytherin, Ravenclaw, or even Hufflepuff doesn't define whether or not you are courageous, cunning, clever or courteous. It doesn't define who you are or even who you are supposed to be. The houses are not supposed to define you at all. You are put in your house because that house is what will help you the most to shape your future. I was raised Slytherin. I am cunning, ambitious, and even clever if I do say so. However, I was put in Gryffindor because it wouldn't do anyone any good for me to be in Slytherin. All it would do is give my parents a string to control me with. I am not about to be a puppet."

The two second years sat back in contemplation of the wisdom this twelve-year-old boy laid out in front of them.

"For hundreds of years, there's been a misconception about it. How did you come to this conclusion?" Lily asked after another moment of reviewing the information.

"Also, then why are most Gryffindors so terribly brash and haven't a logical bone in their body?" Severus asked haughtily.

"Severus, what's wrong with you?" Lily said, looking affronted.

"I didn't mean you, Lily."

"No, but you did mean my entire house. The Marauders are idiots, that's a given. But just because they're brash and illogical doesn't mean all Gryffindors are."

"Anyway," Regulus drawled out, "To answer your questions, I'm not brash and give myself lots of time to think, especially when I'm at home. Gryffindors tend to be brash but that's only because the type of people who need to be courageous don't always need to think before they act. It is also just a stereotype. I can name at least ten Gryffindors who are logical. One of the Marauders included. Two, every once in a while, when James doesn't have Lily on his mind."

"Are you saying I make Potter think illogically?" Lily asked with an annoyed look.

"No, of course not. I am saying that he doesn't think at all when you're in the equation."

"Gross."

Severus rolled his eyes. "Alright. If you would like to our friend I," he huffed, "I wouldn't object."

Lily thought for a moment, "Me either. I guess we agree then. You can be our friend." Regulus smiled.

"Thanks," He sighed, "so, what were you two talking about before I interrupted."

Lily raised an eyebrow, "The giant Kelpy on my bed."

* * *

The train rolled into Kings Cross station at 7:55 that night and Mr. And Mrs. Lupin were patiently waiting for their crew of boys to get off the train.

"Remus!" Mrs. Lupin shouted when she saw the light-haired boy exit the train. When Remus saw her, he grinned and hurried over to his family as quickly as his body would let him.

"Mummy!" Remus said as she scooped him up in a hug.

"Aw, my beautiful boy," she said into his hair. She then pulled him out of their hug and inspected her son's face and arms, "How was last night? How hurt were you this morning? Was the train ride alright? Were you able to sleep or did your friends keep you awake?"

Mr. Lupin smiled sweetly at his wife and put his hand on her shoulder, "Hope, Darling, don't embarrass him in front of his friends. Give him some space."

Remus swallowed, "Hey dad," he said not meeting the man's eyes.

Mr. Lupin stared at a fresh scar on Remus's jaw. "Hello Remus," He said with a disappearing smile. He sighed and stared at the train. Finally, Sirius and James caught up with the lycanthrope. "And I suppose these are the friends you've told your mother so much about."

"Merlin, Remus, for having just been through hell and back you can still run pretty fast," James said after catching his breath. "Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Lupin. I'm James Potter. This prat behind me is Sirius Black and the boy who looks exactly like him can be identified as Regulus, his younger brother. He should be around somewhere," James said looking behind him at the train to look for another set of grey eyes paired with a black head. "However, I don't see him." He mumbled as he was still staring back at the train.

"You mean the boy standing to your right?" Mrs. Lupin asked.

"Hello." Regulus said. James turned and jumped.

"What the hel-heck mate? What was that for?" James asked bent over with his hands on his knees.

Regulus laughed, "It's not like I tried it. Besides, serves you right after what you put me through this morning."

"Besides, where were you Reg? you never caught up with us after you boarded the train. We started to wonder whether or not you were jumped by a Slytherin gang." Sirius asked but before he could get his answer Mrs. Lupin pulled him into a bone-crushing hug.

"Come on Hope, let's get these boys home and something to eat as I'm sure they must be starving by now." Mr. Lupin said before turning back and leading them across the barrier


End file.
